Quasi-Game Thread - 1/20/06 - Ownership Change

[Reds Fanatic]

Yeah. There was a bit of an undercurrent there. And when mentioning the positives on Lance's show, he mentioned the coaching staff, but O'Brien's name never came up.

We can only hope that means what I hope it means.
O' Brien was only mentioned once in the whole press conference. He just said he would report directly to the owner and that was it. Hopefully he keeps DANO on a very short leash until he gets rid of him.

[RFS62]

I only heard him mention DanO's name once. When he was talking about reorganizing the front office into two divisions, he said DanO would be reporting directly to him.

Not one word of praise.

[pedro]

Here's the whole thing....

Castellini's announcement speech
01/20/2006 3:45 PM ET
MLB.com

Thank you for being here. It means a lot to see so many of you, and we're honored that Marty Brennaman came here to introduce us. Marty's a Hall of Famer, he's the voice of the Reds and the biggest fan I know. But you know Marty, too. He calls them as he sees them and he'll be watching us closely.

Our goal is to make Marty -- and fans everywhere -- proud of the entire Reds organization and what we will accomplish.

You probably want to know -- who are these people? Why did they put together the group that's buying "Our Reds," and what do they plan to do?

It's really pretty simple. I'm here today because I'm a life-long Reds fan, also. I love baseball. Always have. Since I was a little kid.

I also love Cincinnati. I believe in this city and the people who live here. It's where our family business started, grew and prospered. And it's where I became a fan of the Cincinnati Reds.

I remember listening to Reds games on my big old Crosley radio. They called it portable, but it was 20 times bigger than today's portables. I'd hide it under the covers at night when I was 6 or 7 years old and had to go to school the next day. I'd listen to the Reds games and Waite Hoyt. I loved it. Even rain delays were great because Waite would tell stories about his early days playing with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Some of you may remember -- those old radios had vacuum tubes, and they really got hot. One night I dozed off, and that radio got so hot it set my covers on fire.

My parents were pretty hot, too. It was a while before I could listen to Waite Hoyt and the Reds again.

In that very personal and special way a kid loves a baseball team, the Reds became part of my life. Just as they've become part of yours. Today is a new chapter in my life with the Cincinnati Reds. Today I'm proud to be both a fan and an owner of the Reds -- the first and one of the most storied franchises in professional baseball.

I want to make a promise today to Reds fans wherever you are -- a promise from one fan to another -- we will bring championship baseball to Cincinnati. This is just our first day on the job. From this moment forward, we will work toward that dream, and will not rest until we exceed the expectations of our fans.

The Reds belong at the top of the standings. Our tradition is one of success and achievement. Only three other teams have won more World Series than the Reds -- the Yankees, the Cardinals and the Red Sox. We want to bring that tradition home.

Before I go any further, on behalf of the entire ownership group, I want to thank Carl Lindner for his stewardship of the Cincinnati Reds.

We respect him deeply as man of integrity and applaud his intense loyalty to Cincinnati. I want to thank George Strike, a past and continuing partner in the Reds, for teaming with Carl to allow us the opportunity to purchase this fabled franchise. We respect their continuing the tradition of nearly 140 years of hometown ownership of this community jewel and this American icon.

If it hadn't been for Carl's help and advice and George's as well, we wouldn't be here today as the new owners. We're happy that they are retaining a portion of their shares, and we're happy that Carl has agreed to stay on board as honorary chairman. Longtime fans and owners Louise Nippert and Bill Reik will continue with the group as well.

I also want to introduce my partners in the new ownership group:

• W. Joseph Williams, Jr. (Joe Williams) will serve as chairman.

• Tom Williams will serve as vice-chair and treasurer. The Williams family has long been associated with the Reds and, with me, most recently we were partners of the St. Louis Cardinals.

We were fortunate to have had many people with Cincinnati ties express interest in joining the ownership group. Completing our group of owners is a most impressive list of accomplished business and civic leaders -- all of whom are passionate about the Reds. Because Major League Baseball has not yet completed approval, we are unable to single any out at this time. Within a few weeks, a list of our partners will be disclosed.

In addition to sharing my long history with the Reds, these men and women also share my passion. Together we will work with the staff, the team and the fans to bring championship baseball to Cincinnati.

We're not new to this game. Some in our ownership group have been in baseball as part owners of the Reds and with the Orioles, the Rangers and the Cardinals. As partners in St. Louis, Tom and Joe Williams and I had front-row seats for the transformation of the St. Louis franchise.

Ten years ago, the Cardinals' situation was almost identical to where the Reds are now. A long-range plan that focused on building a world class organization by putting the right people in the right jobs was put in place. Improved performance led to improved attendance. Improved attendance led to more revenue. More revenue led to more payroll. Now, the Cardinals are a strong, consistent winner.

That's where we want to be. We're buying the Reds to win. Anything else is unacceptable. We will not rest until we are putting a contender on the field ... year in and year out.

Our first step will be to create one of the most respected organizations in baseball. We'll forge a winning attitude and culture. We'll ensure that the best people are in the right roles with the resources to win.

To do this, we are going to change the management structure by separating responsibility for the business operation and the baseball operation. This will allow our people to focus on delivering the best possible results in their areas of responsibility.

I will serve as chief executive officer, with both groups reporting to me. I'm happy to announce that John Allen has agreed to stay with us as chief operating officer to head our business operation. Our general manager and head of baseball operations, Dan O'Brien, also will report directly to me.

Second, we'll have a competitive budget. We'll operate this year with a budget in the $60-65 million range, comparable to last year. There are very successful teams with comparable budgets. For example the White Sox, Astros and Athletics. Two of those three teams were in the World Series last year.

Or, Cleveland, who finished two games out of the playoffs, only had two-thirds of our budget. Most importantly, we will invest our budget opportunistically and strategically. Our experience as owners with other franchises has proven that it's not so much what you spend -- it's how you spend that's most important.

As we build our organization, we'll likely do some other things differently once we get our sleeves rolled up. I intend to work out of the Reds offices on a daily basis until I have an insider's understanding of how we work -- what we're doing well and what we can do better.

I'm sure there are other issues and personnel matters that you have specific questions about. We don't have all the answers yet. It's our first day. But we're moving quickly. We met with all the Reds front office and operations staff and talked with our manager and coaches to discuss our plans and hit the ground running. Spring Training opens in 27 days, and we will be ready.

Third, we're also going to increase our community involvement. We are big believers in giving and will work to make the Reds Community Fund more visible and impactful than ever.

Along those lines, we'll also be reaching out more aggressively to our fans in this city, the region and throughout the nation. We will be visible within the community...telling our story and strategy. Our goal is to make the fans in Reds Nation feel a part of the baseball experience and our communications will be timely, transparent and truthful to foster this sense of pride and passion through understanding.

And, as I told employees this morning, we will work to make the experience at Great American Ball Park even more memorable. Kids and adults will want to be here. This is baseball. This is fun. And it should be fun for everyone, whether you're an associate, a player or a fan. And just as I'm proud to be a Reds owner, I am proud to be a Reds fan.

I want our fans to be proud and passionate about being Reds fans. Look for Reds employees in the stands periodically asking for your opinion on how we can make being at the ballpark a memorable experience.

The bottom line is that we are not going to rest until our fans are happy. My wife, Susie, has a pillow in our living room. Stitched right into that pillow is the phrase, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."

In our Reds organization, if our fans ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

That is going to be our driving force.

We will create a winning team worthy of the unwavering loyalty of our fans.

We are America's first professional baseball team. We believe that once again we will be the best. We've seen how a winning organization shines a national spotlight on our community and our region. That's what this community deserves.

I thank you all for this opportunity.

We look forward to bringing championship baseball home for all of us.

Thank you.

[StillFunkyB]

I am not going to dig for some sort of answer that will make me feel better....

Show me. I know this isn't Missouri, or even Jerry freakin McGuire....but Show me Bobby C. Show me.

[Aronchis]

Come on people, this stuff is classic cotton candy. You aren't going to fire somebody on this day, a positive one for the organization. That comes as the overhaul is in the works.

Trying to make sense of it now is worthless. Give it some time, lets see who is brought in and what is re-organized.

It is very possible, the people Cast brings in, decides to firesale this team and rebuild from bottom up. Thus, you have been warned.

[M2]

FWIW, if I were helping to construct Castellini's message, I would have built it around having a young, hungry, dynamic team.

I like that he referenced Harang and Claussen (though not by name) when talking about the positives on the team. What I'd have had him do is build on that and connect the revenue dots a bit. We know the Reds can't spend their way out of this mess. So Castellini's up there laying out the good team brings attendance brings increased revenue dynamic, but without the critical piece of where the good team comes from. Instead of insisting the Reds are better than people realize (and Ravenlord hit the nail on the head when he countered that the reality is it's far worse than Castellini perhaps realizes), he should have pointed to Harang and FeLO and EdE as the kind of exciting young players the organization needs to build around.

Don't try to sell us a silk stocking filled with dung. We can smell it from here. What he should have done is promise a brand of baseball. Come out to the park and watch a more energetic brand of baseball, a brand of baseball that's going to return us to the first division. Sell the momentum.

He had many of the pieces of it, but they were strewn around a bit and not given the proper emphasis.

[Ga_Red]

2/09/07

[CincyRedsFan30]

OK, here goes. I didn't get every word, but I get the jist of most of what he said. Key points were highlighted and some quotes were shortened due to unimportant comments that were made:

* Marty opens by saying that Castellini has an "impressive approach."
* Castellini is formally introduced and begins by saying: "Our goal is to make everyone proud of our Reds."
* He goes on to say: "I love baseball. I always have."
* "Today I'm proud to be a fan and owner of the Reds. I want to make a promise: We WILL bring championship baseball to Cincinnati. We will not rest until we reach the expectations of fans."
* "These men and women also share my passion. We had front row seats for the transformation of the Cardinals. The right people in the right jobs were put in place. Now they are a consistent. We bought the REds to win and we will not accept anything else."

* "We are going to separate the management structure from the business structure. John Allen and Dan O'Brien will report to me." (As also mentioned here...O'Brien to him and Allen on the business side is what I think he said, although things were moving quickly at that point.)

* "We will have a competitive budget between $60-65 mil. Other teams have proven you can win with that budget. We will invest our budget opportunisticly."

* "I'm sure we have other questions about personnel issues. We aren't ready to answer them yet. This is our first day."

* "We will be reaching out to the fans mroe aggressively and also to the community."

* He then said again that: "We will not rest until the fans are happy." (Also mentioned bringing a championship back to Cincy several more times within there)

Q & A Session:

Hal opened things up: "How long will it take for a contender?"
"Our goal is this year. But looking at things from the glass half empty perspective, we obviously have some pitching challenges. Our minor league system has been very poor and I know it takes some time to fix that, but I'm an impatient guy. We have an outstanding manager" (didn't say the same about the GM or COO one time I noticed). We will be better than people think this year."

Brad Johanssen inquires about the budget:
"The budget will break even. If attendance goes up by us placing a winning team on the field, the payroll will also go up."

Furman spews about a possible increase in personnel:
"There is a potential of all of that."

John Papovich from WCPO asks about scouting and he basically said they will try to improve it. Not too much more detail now though.

Daugherty (who gets complimented by Cast for his good columns) asks him to pretend he is at a job interview and asks him why he's the right man for the job:
"Expect passion and energy. 110 percent. We will look at the cup half full."

Marc asks them if they are willing to take a hit on budget to help the team:
"Yes. If we are in the middle of July and contending, we will bite the bullet. Not early on though."

Dan Hoard asks about him meeeting with Sweet Lou and if he's a candidate to be with the team:

"He is a winner. He is a taking a year off this year. We wanted him as a special advisor. He promised to come to Spring Training with us if we asked him to come, but he won't be with us this year."

And they cut the interview off after that. That's all she wrote, folks.

[MikeS21]

I am excited about the new ownership but if I had a restaurant and said i was only going to put enough money into it to serve average food and would put more money in to improve the product once my sales increased and people came to my restaurant my place would close go out of business pretty quick
And if you spend more on "better food" and you cannot recoup your investment even though you pack your restaurant out with customers every night, you will be out of business too.

At some point though, you need to realistically examine the ramifications of going into debt.

The 1997 Florida Marlins won the World Series. But dismantled before the next spring training. Why? The Diamondbacks won the World Series a few years back. And they had to dismantle. Why? The answer is that even though their owners spent more and put more fans in the seats, the increased attendence revenue did not cover the increased cost of payroll.

How is adding payroll going to improve fan interest? Adding $10-$15-$20 million to payroll is NO guarantee that the on-field performance will improve. And if losing $15 million a year for 2-3 years will mean cuts in minor league operations or some other area down the road, how is that smart?

What happens if they go out and increase payroll (taking a budget loss) and sign a top of the line pitcher, who blows his elbow out in spring training. How will they recoup the loss? Fans aren't going to come to the ball park simply because the FO "tried."

[OnBaseMachine]

Well, I can't stand these guys already. They sound like younger versions of Carl Lindner. Looks like we're screwed again.

Bringing Allen and O'Brien back. Somebody shoot me.

:angry:

[Redsfaithful]

The 1997 Florida Marlins won the World Series. But dismantled before the next spring training. Why? The Diamondbacks won the World Series a few years back. And they had to dismantle. Why?

Here's a better question: who cares?

I'd take a World Series win for a few years of suck. Right now all we have is the suck.

[CincyRedsFan30]

Well, MLB.com had the entire interview, but they didn't get the Q & A on there, so there. ;)

I guess that's what happens when you try to jot notes down and then type them up as opposed to typing as you go as someone from MLB.com was probably doing. :)

[donnelly_31]

MikeS21 did you see the price that Lindner paid for his shares of the team and then what he sold them for? Thats is where you recoup any investment it should be in the increased value of the team. Plus more people will pack the park if bigger name players are there and everyone knows ownership is trying.

[pedro]

Well, MLB.com had the entire interview, but they didn't get the Q & A on there, so there. ;)

I guess that's what happens when you try to jot notes down and then type them up as opposed to typing as you go as someone from MLB.com was probably doing. :)

a valient effort none the less. :thumbup:

[BCubb2003]

http://www.syracuse.com/newsflash/sports/index.ssf?/base/sports-14/1137796152255600.xml&storylist=sports

Reds new owner makes some changes
1/20/2006, 5:22 p.m. ET
By JOE KAY
The Associated Press

CINCINNATI (AP) — The new owner of the Cincinnati Reds is moving in and rearranging the surroundings.

In his first day running the ballclub, produce magnate Robert Castellini reorganized the front office and promised fans a championship.

He also announced Friday that he was moving his office to Great American Ball Park, where he plans to see how things are done with an eye on more sweeping changes down the line.

"As we build our organization, we'll likely do some other things differently once we get our sleeves rolled up," Castellini said at an introductory news conference also attended by several hundred civic leaders and dignitaries. "I intend to work out of the Reds' offices on a daily basis until I have an insider's understanding of how we work."

Castellini's first move was to change the front office's structure. Chief operating officer John Allen will stay but will focus on the business side of the ballclub. General manager Dan O'Brien will run the baseball side, reporting directly to Castellini.

Under previous owner Carl Lindner, Allen ran the entire operation and reported directly to the owner. Castellini bought control of the team from Lindner in November, a transaction approved Thursday by major league baseball owners.

Castellini said the payroll this season would be $60 million to $65 million, roughly the same as last season. The Reds lost 89 games last season, when they opened with a $60 million payroll that ranked 19th in the majors.

[pedro]

Sounds like RC is going to much more "hands on" than Uncle Carl. That, IMO, is a very good sign.

[CincyRedsFan30]

Not a problem. My next order of business is to see if I can try to find out some more information regarding O'Brien, who to me at least seemed to receive the fewest(and very minimal) compliments from Castellini. He was plased to have Allen stay on the business side but didn't use that description to describe O'Brien reporting to him. It was a very concise statement of him saying that he will be reporting to him. Narron is the only one he actually called "great." I found that interesting.

[RedsBaron]

For what it is worth, the Yankees, Cardinals and Red Sox are not the only teams who have won more World Series than the Reds. The A's have won 9 and the Dodgers have won 6.
I'm not surprised by the lack of meaningful action. I always expected Narron, O'Brien and Allen to be with the Reds at the start of the 2006 season. I don't expect any of them to be here this time next year.

[Cyclone792]

For what it is worth, the Yankees, Cardinals and Red Sox are not the only teams who have won more World Series than the Reds. The A's have won 9 and the Dodgers have won 6.
I'm not surprised by the lack of meaningful action. I always expected Narron, O'Brien and Allen to be with the Reds at the start of the 2006 season. I don't expect any of them to be here this time next year.

Yea I was wondering if anyone in the media caught that mistake and was going to mention something ...

Five World Series titles are nice, but I'd like to see a few more before my hair greys.

[marcshoe]

Well, I feel better after reading this thread than I did after listening to the press conference. You can take that however you'd like. :)

[Chip R]

The one thing I don't think he gets is how bad a situation with the pitching is. He mentioned Paul Wilson's comeback and young pitchers they think will perform well. Either he is just trying to be really optimistic or he does not get how far we are from even an average pitching staff.

Oh, he'll find out. Boy, will he find out.

[Falls City Beer]

Well, I can't stand these guys already. They sound like younger versions of Carl Lindner. Looks like we're screwed again.

Bringing Allen and O'Brien back. Somebody shoot me.

:angry:


I feel like cursing a lot. Instead I'm going out drinking. (And somebody else is driving).

[M2]

Sounds like RC is going to much more "hands on" than Uncle Carl. That, IMO, is a very good sign.

I think it's good that he wants to be involved, but I'd hope that he'd have the good sense to install an executive between himself and the Allen/DanO layer. Castellini is not a baseball executive and he needs to have leadership whose first order of business isn't self-preservation. Under the current design he's likely to have people pouring manure into both his hands.

[pedro]

I think it's good that he wants to be involved, but I'd hope that he'd have the good sense to install an executive between himself and the Allen/DanO layer. Castellini is not a baseball executive and he needs to have leadership whose first order of business isn't self-preservation. Under the current design he's likely to have people pouring manure into both his hands.

Well let's just hope he has a good sense of smell and the good sense to realize that manure isn't going to help anything grow when the soil's so barren and the seeds are so few.

[Aronchis]

I think it's good that he wants to be involved, but I'd hope that he'd have the good sense to install an executive between himself and the Allen/DanO layer. Castellini is not a baseball executive and he needs to have leadership whose first order of business isn't self-preservation. Under the current design he's likely to have people pouring manure into both his hands.

Not for Allen, he is on the financial side. Of course he needs to "install" a PofO, but that is only natural in the rebuilding. That also is what will lead to th end of DanO as well.

[Cyclone792]

I think it's good that he wants to be involved, but I'd hope that he'd have the good sense to install an executive between himself and the Allen/DanO layer. Castellini is not a baseball executive and he needs to have leadership whose first order of business isn't self-preservation. Under the current design he's likely to have people pouring manure into both his hands.

Manure will be pouring itself into his hands :evil:

[TeamBoone]

Well, I can't stand these guys already. They sound like younger versions of Carl Lindner. Looks like we're screwed again.

Bringing Allen and O'Brien back. Somebody shoot me.

:angry:

Oh for Pete's sake! They're not going to waltz in and announce personnel changes on Day 1. All the players aren't even on board yet. They mentioned that several additional people still have to be approved by MLB.

People act like they should have entered with guns blazing. Get real.

I'm sure they have a darned good idea of what they plan to do, but we're not going to be privy to it this early in the game.

[gm]

If what I'm hearing is true, and I can't guarantee that it is, but if it is, we may be looking at a very exciting 2006 Cincinnati Reds baseball season. I'm sorry, I can't say much more than that at this time.

A follow-up to this post would be greatly appreciated

[TeamBoone]

I think it's good that he wants to be involved, but I'd hope that he'd have the good sense to install an executive between himself and the Allen/DanO layer. Castellini is not a baseball executive and he needs to have leadership whose first order of business isn't self-preservation. Under the current design he's likely to have people pouring manure into both his hands.

This could be temporary, until he has a better feel for everything.

[ochre]

Look away lest you get hypnotized
http://www.ddshorning.dk/JungleDyrene/grafik/KAA-Mowgli.jpg

[wolfboy]

For what it is worth, the Yankees, Cardinals and Red Sox are not the only teams who have won more World Series than the Reds. The A's have won 9 and the Dodgers have won 6.
I'm not surprised by the lack of meaningful action. I always expected Narron, O'Brien and Allen to be with the Reds at the start of the 2006 season. I don't expect any of them to be here this time next year.

I don't necessarily think this was a mistake, but it is a misleading statement. The "Los Angeles Dodgers" have only won 5 World Series titles. The Brooklyn Dodgers won 1. The "Oakland Athletics" won 4 World Series titles. The Philly Athletics won the other 5. If you break the World Series titles up in this manner, then RC's statement works.

[M2]

Not for Allen, he is on the financial side. Of course he needs to "install" a PofO, but that is only natural in the rebuilding. That also is what will lead to th end of DanO as well.

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want John Allen running my business. The man's got the entreprenurial skill of a mole rat. What I'm actually hoping on that side is that Allen's reduced to CFO while others revamp the marketing, public relations, promotions and broadcast operations. For instance, the timing of this press conference was retarded. Somebody needs to point these things out. Somebody also should have asked whether Castellini wanted to have cocktails with the local brahmins or whether he wanted to make a national splash. The way things change is that you bring in people who change them. Allen doesn't get this stuff (and so many other things) and he hasn't hired people who do. You need to put a guy like that in a small box and seal it tight.

And we'll see if a team president is a natural part of the rebuilding. I hope it is. I also hope that team president will have dominion over both the baseball and business operations. Castellini shouldn't be the operational point where those two worlds collide. I doubt he could get hired to do that. The trouble rich folks sometimes encounter is hubris. Just because you can buy a baseball team doesn't mean you can run one. The wise thing for Castellini to do is give himself the space to freelance and have some whom he trusts absolutely to run the business. I sincerely doubt he's qualified to sift through a chourus of sycophants in this particular industry.

[M2]

This could be temporary, until he has a better feel for everything.

I agree it could be and hopefully it is. Right now though what he's done is place a devil on each shoulder.

[Scrap Irony]

Hal opened things up: "How long will it take for a contender?"
"Our goal is this year. But looking at things from the glass half empty perspective, we obviously have some pitching challenges. Our minor league system has been very poor and I know it takes some time to fix that, but I'm an impatient guy..."

Less interested in the minor leagues (bonuses, scouting, et al) than in ponying up cash for the major league team?

That's worrisome to me.

[vaticanplum]

For instance, the timing of this press conference was retarded. Somebody needs to point these things out.

I think you're totally right about Allen, but why was the timing bad? I'm not being snarky -- public relations is not my strong suit, and I really want to know. Is your point that he should have settled in first? But how would people have reacted if he had taken control and then waited for a press conference? I can't remember what's standard in this situation.

[creek14]

Re: Allen. I don't know how you can seperate the business of baseball from baseball business.

Little help, please.

[RedsManRick]

I think most of us are on the same page regarding finances. Going out and spending 20MM more a year tomorrow is a great way to destroy your pocketbook. Any growth has to be smart growth.

The problem as I see it is that every time we've begun to expand payroll, we've screwed it up royally. When you spend 8MM (13% of total payroll) a year on a guy who, if he had a career year would be a good #3 starter, you have issues. When consistently underpay your star player in his prime such that you're forced to make it up in an absurd 3 year deal when he's running on fumes, you have issues. When you trade away underpriced soild pitching (Chris Reitsma) for other underpriced not so solid pitching, you have issues. When you resign a player who was a problem in the clubhouse to play a position already filled by one of the guys you should be building around, at the opportunity cost of a sandwhich draft pick, you have issues.

I understand most of the financial issues in terms of that final payroll total. But how they've chosen to allocate those dollars is beyond defensable. We need leadership who understands the financial limitations under which they're working and creates a baseball plan to put a winner of the field in light of that. The Twins, Indians, and A's have all done this in the last 10 years. The Devil Rays are turning this corner quickly. It's a function of having the right people on the baseball operations side. Given that nepotism is priority #1 in Cincinnati, I have little faith the operations side will be fixed any time soon.

[pedro]

Re: Allen. I don't know how you can seperate the business of baseball from baseball business.

Little help, please.


He's going back to being VP of Hot Dogs, Pepsi, Beer & Parking

[M2]

I think you're totally right about Allen, but why was the timing bad? I'm not being snarky -- public relations is not my strong suit, and I really want to know. Is your point that he should have settled in first? But how would people have reacted if he had taken control and then waited for a press conference? I can't remember what's standard in this situation.

4 p.m. Friday is a slot you pick if you want the news to be buried, if all you want to make is a small splash. Literally, it's the spot government picks when it wants to hide bad news.

They should have done the presser yesterday when the news broke in order to maximize the coverage and the attention it got. Castellini could have phoned into the league approval hearing.

I cover a lot of corporate acquisitions and I've never seen new ownership take 24 hours to speak about it.

[Unassisted]

This was eminently missable, just as I predicted. Rome wasn't built in a day and this wasn't the day that Reds baseball would be rebuilt.

I look forward to his second presser, though, whenever that one takes place. I'll go ahead and predict that that will be the one that announces substantial change.

I do wish the transcript hadn't confirmed my suspicions about he and Lindner swapping hoary stories about the produce industry over Old Fashioneds at the country club, though. Those old boys are definitely in the network.

I'm glad that the Reds don't appear destined to bring in a bunch of ex-Cardinals. That was a fear I had. Watch out if Tony LaRussa ever gets back on the job market, though. :p:

Hopefully there will be more for us Reds fans to get excited about as we get closer to spring. FWIW, today was a great day for baseball in South Texas, as I was outside enjoying the sun and 78 degrees during the presser. :cool:

[Mario-Rijo]

I am an eternal optimist so although I heard some things that were "fluff", I also heard some meaningful things. The problem with Baseball is you have to be patient at times. This is one of those times. I know we heard some similar things said between Lindner and Castellini, like "not in it to make money but also I don't want to lose it" and "We budget to break even". But quite frankly this done properly is key. When you read between the lines he's saying simply It's not about making money it's about Baseball and Winning!!! So let's not throw Castellini and company under the bus already for Lindner's trangressions.

What everyone has stated on here today is correct, enough with the talk show us some action. When was the last time you started a new job and showed "The Action" on your 1st day, 1st week or 1st month. It likely took you some time to settle in. I know I don't want to have to wait either but we have no choice, so deal with it!

[Willy]

Well after reading the 15 pages of this post I can't believe the negativity that drips from this board. We have a new owner, something most of us has wanted for years. (Good News) The guy was not going to come out on his first day of the job and anounce that he has fired everyone and traded for Zito, Randy Johnson, and signed Roger Clemons.

Let's be realistic here people. Give the guy a chance to sit at his new desk. Let's see what he does this first year before we jump off a bridge.

Things I will be looking for:

1. Does he increase the Reds scouting department(especially worldwide).
2. Does he increase the marketing of the Reds(Can a team be more plain Jane?)
3. What changes are instore for fans during games(Prices, increasing entertainment at games)
4. How does his first draft go(do they go after the best player or most likely to sign?, do they sign them?).
5. When the Reds fall out of contention, how quick does he fire DO? who does he get to replace him? Do they have a firesale, or just a couple of trades?
6. Most of all I will see how he handlesthe young core (Dunn, Harrang, Lopez) do they get LTD?

The Reds are in a Bad situation that is going to take time to fix, let's not expect him to build Rome in a day.

[pedro]

Watch out if Tony LaRussa ever gets back on the job market, though. :p:



I think I'm going to puke. Thanks. ;)

[gilpdawg]

Well, I can't stand these guys already. They sound like younger versions of Carl Lindner. Looks like we're screwed again.

Bringing Allen and O'Brien back. Somebody shoot me.

:angry:
You guys need to calm down! Nobody is gonna get fired during his first press conference. This is his day to bask, not to fire people. Now, if DanO is still here a year from now, then we've got problems. I don't see it happening.

[savafan]

A follow-up to this post would be greatly appreciated

See me in May.

[gilpdawg]

Well after reading the 15 pages of this post I can't believe the negativity that drips from this board. We have a new owner, something most of us has wanted for years. (Good News) The guy was not going to come out on his first day of the job and anounce that he has fired everyone and traded for Zito, Randy Johnson, and signed Roger Clemons.

Let's be realistic here people. Give the guy a chance to sit at his new desk. Let's see what he does this first year before we jump off a bridge.

Things I will be looking for:

1. Does he increase the Reds scouting department(especially worldwide).
2. Does he increase the marketing of the Reds(Can a team be more plain Jane?)
3. What changes are instore for fans during games(Prices, increasing entertainment at games)
4. How does his first draft go(do they go after the best player or most likely to sign?, do they sign them?).
5. When the Reds fall out of contention, how quick does he fire DO? who does he get to replace him? Do they have a firesale, or just a couple of trades?
6. Most of all I will see how he handlesthe young core (Dunn, Harrang, Lopez) do they get LTD?

The Reds are in a Bad situation that is going to take time to fix, let's not expect him to build Rome in a day.

Great post man.:beerme:

[MWM]

I'm not sure why removing Allen from the baseball side of things is such a positive. All he's doing is swapping himself for Allen. There's still not a bonafide competent baseball person in that lineage. I guess we can wait to see if DanO sticks around, but the fact that he mentioned his name as the GM and said that DANO will be reporting to him doesn't sound like he's gone anytime soon.

This is something I think has been missed in the discussion, and especially for those who think it's OK to let DanO ride the season out. There is this thing called a draft in less than 5 months. Is Castellini really going to let Reynolds and DanO be in charge of another draft? I can't see any logic why someone else wouldn't be put in the GM role. That person should have been at the press conference today. If he doesn't have someone already, I doubt he has any plans to get rid of DanO. And not making a critical leadership decision for something as critical as the GM of a baseball team because it's close to spring training is bad business and poor leadership.

All along I've been skeptical of Castellinin as the new owner but I would wait to see what he did. I've thought all along that what he does with Allen and DanO was a litmus test. Maybe he gets rid of one of them soon, but I just don't see it happening. And I make no apologies for being pessimistic about this. I hope like hell he proves me wrong, but I'm with creek. I've never been more discouraged as a Reds fan.

[Heath]

After starting this thread, seeing most of the presser and reading all this-here are my top 21 all-important opinions -

1 - He's has a plan.

2 - He's going to evaluate what the Reds have on a day-to-day operation to see what how his plan fits and what needs cut out.

3 - The video thing was cool - needs to replace the 30 second ditty that they play on all the time before the Reds take the field.

4 - Lou Pinella - Cincinnati Reds Manager for 2007.

5 - Some lower-level Cardinal employees will be getting raises and promotions to Cincinnati.

6 - Andy Furman & Marc Lancaster have the same barber.

7 - Dan O'Brien will not be in Cincinnati for 2007

8 - He realizes that the minor leagues suck. I also believe that everything else in the minor leagues is going to be revamped (yay! No tandem pitching)

9 - I think Rob Butcher is on his way out.

10 - I think Bob Howsam is going to be consulted on some matters.

11 - I think that to build on the future, the strength of this organization (its glory years) will be used as a marketing tool.

12 - He said not one word about Adam Dunn and Long Term.

13 - He respects Marty Brennaman.

14 - The Williams Brothers will not be anywhere to be found except on paper. Castellini will be all access and front man.

15 - Carl Lindner will still pass out 25,000 free tickets to Masons.

16 - On Kroger grocery night, someone's gonna go home with lots of produce.

17 - I think that if Castellini states that we are "going to suck" for 2006 and then contend for 2007, might have sent the message that most people wanted to hear.

18 - I think the Cincinnati community and the area around known as "Reds Country" will be hammered home with a revamped radio/tv/media that will include free TV games and a broader based radio network (that may NOT include WLW).

19 - I think I got called out by Robert Castellini. I've been told to get my butt to the ball park and buy tickets and drink the drinks and eat the dogs. I've been told to bring my friends, my family, etc. I've been told if I do this, I'll see a winner.

20 - (redszone recap) I think TeamBoone should get 1000 rep points automatically for the glass-half-full attitude. I think woy needs to get on the horn to find a GM that might be the next Bob Howsam. I think that Krono, no matter if the Reds are in first or in last, will average 1,324.63 posts per day, only exceeded by WorchesterWillie on the SOSH BoSox Message Board. I think that we should pay for FCB's cab ride tonight.

21 - I think that I worry too much about a baseball team. Sometimes I don't think its worth it. But, like any long-term relationship, you work at it and you keep staying the course, whether you get old and gray or you get plastic surgery and Viagra. I'm proud to be a Reds fan.

So let it be written, so let it be done. (Wait..that's Chip's line!)

[savafan]

How many times in the past has a new owner taken over a baseball team and within their first day on the job they fired the entire front office? How many times?

[Caveat Emperor]

This is something I think has been missed in the discussion, and especially for those who think it's OK to let DanO ride the season out. There is this thing called a draft in less than 5 months. Is Castellini really going to let Reynolds and DanO be in charge of another draft? I can't see any logic why someone else wouldn't be put in the GM role. That person should have been at the press conference today. If he doesn't have someone already, I doubt he has any plans to get rid of DanO. And not making a critical leadership decision for something as critical as the GM of a baseball team because it's close to spring training is bad business and poor leadership.

I think that you've gotta read between the lines on this one.

I think that he tried to bring Pinella in is telling, in a way. He was looking for someone to bring aboard as an advisor and consultant...I doubt he's going to just say "Oh well, screw it" and let the current staff handle things. If he thought then that he needed a better opinion in the office, he's likely still going to think that he needs a better opinion in the office.

Further, he pointed directly at the problems in the farm system and lack of talent coming through. He played coy (if I remember correctly) and said that they are going to "look into" the reasons why it wasn't working and get some solutions in place. I took that to clearly be a shot at the way O'Brien had been handling things the last few years and an indication that there were going to be changes in the handling of the farm system and -- by extension -- the draft.

I imagine that they're going to sort through some things, and I wouldn't be all at surprised if they brought someone in as a "Special Assistant to the Owner" before the team break for Spring Training. That person will be the real go-between and will probably make drafting decisions and player-transaction decisions.

[MWM]

Well, I'm even more scared if Pinella is his future GM. I'd rather have DanO. Seriously. Pinella as manager = good. Pinella as GM = not so good.

[CincyReds2003]

Well, I'm even more scared if Pinella is his future GM. I'd rather have DanO. Seriously. Pinella as manager = good. Pinella as GM = not so good.


How can you be so sure? I'm sure he knows more about the game than DanO..At least from a talent and scouting perspective.

[Aronchis]

I think that you've gotta read between the lines on this one.

I think that he tried to bring Pinella in is telling, in a way. He was looking for someone to bring aboard as an advisor and consultant...I doubt he's going to just say "Oh well, screw it" and let the current staff handle things. If he thought then that he needed a better opinion in the office, he's likely still going to think that he needs a better opinion in the office.

Further, he pointed directly at the problems in the farm system and lack of talent coming through. He played coy (if I remember correctly) and said that they are going to "look into" the reasons why it wasn't working and get some solutions in place. I took that to clearly be a shot at the way O'Brien had been handling things the last few years and an indication that there were going to be changes in the handling of the farm system and -- by extension -- the draft.

I imagine that they're going to sort through some things, and I wouldn't be all at surprised if they brought someone in as a "Special Assistant to the Owner" before the team break for Spring Training. That person will be the real go-between and will probably make drafting decisions and player-transaction decisions.

He knows the problem, but fixing is the hard part. Obviously O'brien has filled the lower minors with high tooled talents like Bailey,Wood,Bruce,Rosales and BJ leading the pack. This type of talent can take a long time to develope, though the college bats and a college arm from last years draft could rise up quicker naturally. This is similiar to what O'brien did with Bill Wood in Astroland. But it takes time...............oh so much time. Even if O'brien did lay the foundation to fixing the problem, the bulk of the work still has to get done and DanO doesn't got another 3 years either to continue his slow pace.

Cast needs a Barry Zito type pick for the franchise while the rest grows. I doubt DanO is going to bring that so.................................:beerme:

[savafan]

Here's what Lou did as GM of the Yankees from October of 1987 until June 23, 1988 when he replaced Billy Martin as manager:

October 15, 1987 (Standings)

Released Paul Zuvella.

November 2, 1987

Released Juan Bonilla.

Released Al Holland.

Released Lenn Sakata.

Traded a player to be named later to the Texas Rangers. Received Don Slaught. The New York Yankees sent Brad Arnsberg (November 10, 1987) to the Texas Rangers to complete the trade.

November 9, 1987

Bill Gullickson granted Free Agency.

Tommy John granted Free Agency.

Dave Righetti granted Free Agency.

November 11, 1987

Signed Steve Shields as a free agent.

November 12, 1987

Traded Dan Pasqua, Mark Salas, and Steve Rosenberg to the Chicago White Sox. Received Richard Dotson and Scott Nielsen.

November 17, 1987

Signed Alvaro Espinoza as a free agent.

December 11, 1987

Traded Darren Reed, Phil Lombardi, and Steve Frey to the New York Mets. Received Rafael Santana and Victor Garcia (minors).

December 18, 1987

Released Rich Bordi.

December 21, 1987

Released Mike Easler.

Signed Tommy John as a free agent.

Released Ron Kittle.

December 22, 1987

Traded Steve Trout and Henry Cotto to the Seattle Mariners. Received Lee Guetterman, Clay Parker, and Wade Taylor.

December 23, 1987

Signed Dave Righetti as a free agent.

January 6, 1988

Signed Jack Clark as a free agent.

January 15, 1988

Signed John Candelaria as a free agent.

February 25, 1988

Signed Jose Cruz as a free agent.

March 29, 1988

Released Pete Filson.

March 30, 1988

Traded Orestes Destrade to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Received Hipolito Pena.

April 4, 1988 (Standings)

Released Rick Cerone.

Signed Pete Filson as a free agent.

Released Jerry Royster.

May 7, 1988 (Standings)

Signed Chris Chambliss as a free agent.

May 10, 1988 (Standings)

Released Chris Chambliss.

June 1, 1988 (Standings)

Drafted Jeff Johnson in the 6th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Pat Kelly in the 9th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Kenny Greer in the 10th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Andy Cook in the 11th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Frank Seminara in the 12th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Bobby Munoz in the 15th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Jerry Nielsen in the 18th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Mike Draper in the 26th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Russ Davis in the 29th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Deion Sanders in the 30th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Joe Vitiello in the 31st round of the 1988 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.

Drafted John Cummings in the 32nd round of the 1988 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.

Drafted Fernando Vina in the 51st round of the 1988 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.

June 20, 1988 (Standings)

Purchased Kevin Mmahat from the Texas Rangers.

[M2]

Kevin Mmahat, loved that guy's name.

[CincyReds2003]

Here's what Lou did as GM of the Yankees from October of 1987 until June 23, 1988 when he replaced Billy Martin as manager:

October 15, 1987 (Standings)

Released Paul Zuvella.

November 2, 1987

Released Juan Bonilla.

Released Al Holland.

Released Lenn Sakata.

Traded a player to be named later to the Texas Rangers. Received Don Slaught. The New York Yankees sent Brad Arnsberg (November 10, 1987) to the Texas Rangers to complete the trade.

November 9, 1987

Bill Gullickson granted Free Agency.

Tommy John granted Free Agency.

Dave Righetti granted Free Agency.

November 11, 1987

Signed Steve Shields as a free agent.

November 12, 1987

Traded Dan Pasqua, Mark Salas, and Steve Rosenberg to the Chicago White Sox. Received Richard Dotson and Scott Nielsen.

November 17, 1987

Signed Alvaro Espinoza as a free agent.

December 11, 1987

Traded Darren Reed, Phil Lombardi, and Steve Frey to the New York Mets. Received Rafael Santana and Victor Garcia (minors).

December 18, 1987

Released Rich Bordi.

December 21, 1987

Released Mike Easler.

Signed Tommy John as a free agent.

Released Ron Kittle.

December 22, 1987

Traded Steve Trout and Henry Cotto to the Seattle Mariners. Received Lee Guetterman, Clay Parker, and Wade Taylor.

December 23, 1987

Signed Dave Righetti as a free agent.

January 6, 1988

Signed Jack Clark as a free agent.

January 15, 1988

Signed John Candelaria as a free agent.

February 25, 1988

Signed Jose Cruz as a free agent.

March 29, 1988

Released Pete Filson.

March 30, 1988

Traded Orestes Destrade to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Received Hipolito Pena.

April 4, 1988 (Standings)

Released Rick Cerone.

Signed Pete Filson as a free agent.

Released Jerry Royster.

May 7, 1988 (Standings)

Signed Chris Chambliss as a free agent.

May 10, 1988 (Standings)

Released Chris Chambliss.

June 1, 1988 (Standings)

Drafted Jeff Johnson in the 6th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Pat Kelly in the 9th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Kenny Greer in the 10th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Andy Cook in the 11th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Frank Seminara in the 12th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Bobby Munoz in the 15th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Jerry Nielsen in the 18th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Mike Draper in the 26th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Russ Davis in the 29th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Deion Sanders in the 30th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Drafted Joe Vitiello in the 31st round of the 1988 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.

Drafted John Cummings in the 32nd round of the 1988 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.

Drafted Fernando Vina in the 51st round of the 1988 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.

June 20, 1988 (Standings)

Purchased Kevin Mmahat from the Texas Rangers.

Great research!!

[CrackerJack]

Allen got demoted? I'll drink to that. Bout time.

[Caveat Emperor]

Kevin Mmahat, loved that guy's name.

"Mmmmmm...A Hat...."
http://www.simpsonloft.net/dandp/images/homermmm.gif

[Topcat]

Here's another gem, when asked about the ML system he replied that it wasn't getting better fast enough for him, so they were going to have to look at that and decide whay that was.

That to ME.. was a Dan O jab as well as Naehring, both should be going to Kinkos later this week.
yes and In truth there is a damn good chance he will put the money where it is needed for a mid market team. In scouting and development and ah what the heck he may even meet the demands of a top notch draft pick.
I also wanted to add one other observation I got from reading the responses on here. Would I be wrong to think castelini would be smart and intelligent enough to realize that screaming out loud how this team needs pitching desperatly, would an unwise response if your looking to trades? Far be it for me to know but No way in hell would I say out loud we are despoerate and need trades for pitching upgrades etc. That's one sure way to gewt fleeced.

[Caveat Emperor]

I also wanted to add one other observation I got from reading the responses on here. Would I be wrong to think castelini would be smart and intelligent enough to realize that screaming out loud how this team needs pitching desperatly, would an unwise response if your looking to trades? Far be it for me to know but No way in hell would I say out loud we are despoerate and need trades for pitching upgrades etc. That's one sure way to gewt fleeced.

As WOY pointed out on the other board, this is a team that has finished in the Top-25 of "Worst Team ERAs in NL History" the past 3 years.

Even the guys selling hot dogs for other teams know the Reds need pitching.

[Topcat]

As WOY pointed out on the other board, this is a team that has finished in the Top-25 of "Worst Team ERAs in NL History" the past 3 years.

Even the guys selling hot dogs for other teams know the Reds need pitching.


I am implying it to a prospect thing , sorry for not being more clear on that. I mean as in trading off the Kearns and Willy Mo's and Dunn in exchange for pitching prospects. I am all for it iff there true future stars or steady MLB pitchers but, I would not trade them for just any prospect and with DanO's record I feel Castellini may just bide time due to the late turnover of the team.

[Redsland]

Though to be fair, he said Allen is staying and that DanO will report directly to him (Castellini). So maybe that means Allen's out of the loop and DanO's on a leash until they euthanize him.
That's how I interpreted it, too.

[Aronchis]

DanO's funeral is February 2nd at 2:00PM
Visitation February 1st will be from 9AM to 9PM. I bet Aurilia and Hancock wear black dresses.
;)

[M2]

DanO's funeral is February 2nd at 2:00PM
Visitation February 1st will be from 9AM to 9PM. I bet Aurilia and Hancock wear black dresses.
;)

Is there something scheduled for Groundhog Day?

It would be an appropriate choice. Being a Reds fan, it often feels like every day is Groundhog Day.

[DoogMinAmo]

I am excited about the new ownership but if I had a restaurant and said i was only going to put enough money into it to serve average food and would put more money in to improve the product once my sales increased and people came to my restaurant my place would close go out of business pretty quick


Not if you are the only restaurant in town.

[KronoRed]

How can you be so sure? I'm sure he knows more about the game than DanO..At least from a talent and scouting perspective.
Lasorda made/still makes a terrible GM, it's not the same thing.

[KronoRed]

How many times in the past has a new owner taken over a baseball team and within their first day on the job they fired the entire front office? How many times?
Not enough times.

This is moving the broken pieces around and hoping they start to work.

I'm not ready to toss him under the bus as a bad owner but I'm not real pleased with letting Dan O stay in charge.

[Chip R]

I think we are all quite aware of how bad the pitching was last year. But I don't know if you can really appreciate how bad it was unless you watch it day in and day out. Perhaps Bob doesn't quite realize that. He looks at the stats and thinks that it was just a fluke and Paul Wilson will come back and Milton can't be that bad again and Harang and Claussen will only be better and Dave Williams has La Russa's endorsement. But my guess is that if he watches these games every day, he will realize actually how bad it is and hopefully will start the sackings sooner rather than later.

[MikeS21]

Did anyone catch this statement from BoB's presser?


Along those lines, we'll also be reaching out more aggressively to our fans in this city, the region and throughout the nation. We will be visible within the community...telling our story and strategy. Our goal is to make the fans in Reds Nation feel a part of the baseball experience and our communications will be timely, transparent and TRUTHFUL to foster this sense of pride and passion through understanding.
It seems that he has heard some of the doublespeak which usually comes out of this FO.

[TeamBoone]

It seems that he has heard some of the doublespeak which usually comes out of this FO.

And the triplespeak that usually (always?) comes from the GM.

[SteelSD]

I think we are all quite aware of how bad the pitching was last year. But I don't know if you can really appreciate how bad it was unless you watch it day in and day out. Perhaps Bob doesn't quite realize that. He looks at the stats and thinks that it was just a fluke and Paul Wilson will come back and Milton can't be that bad again and Harang and Claussen will only be better and Dave Williams has La Russa's endorsement. But my guess is that if he watches these games every day, he will realize actually how bad it is and hopefully will start the sackings sooner rather than later.

He seems to understand that the offense is good and that the minors stink. That's a positive. He does want either a Closer or another Rotation Piece in short order. So that seems to indicate he understands what's most broken.

But he also seems to think that there's a Chris Carpenter rebound type hidden somewhere on the Reds team. I don't for the life of me know what that's all about. Of all the things Castellini said, that's the one thing he kept repeating that concerns me because it's a completely unreasonable way to think.

I like that he seems to know what's most broken, but the whole Cris Carpenter thing is akin to being lost in the desert while pinning your hopes on the idea that aliens will show up to rescue you. That was just bizzare to me.

Castellini said a lot of the "right" things today. Now, those "right" things aren't necessarily going to sway most folks one way or another if they're past the point of casual fandom, but it encourages me that he at least KNOWS what the "right" things to say are. He was saying "butts in seats" stuff. Some folks will go to park because of what they heard today. That's not a negative. It is what it is.

But he's got to find folks smart enough now to do the right things rather than just say them. He wasn't going to do that this afternoon of course. But now his clock is ticking. He described himself as "impatient". We'll see if that's really true. Then we'll see if he's smart.

[Jpup]

DanO is toast...soon. :thumbup:

[KronoRed]

And the triplespeak that usually (always?) comes from the GM.
Maybe that's why he wasn't fired ;)

[RedsBaron]

the whole Cris Carpenter thing is akin to being lost in the desert while pinning your hopes on the idea that aliens will show up to rescue you.
At this point I'd like to see the Reds sign a few aliens for the pitching staff. Couldn't hurt.;)
I really don't expect many changes in the Reds until at least mid-season. Sometime around July, with the Reds having a record of around 30-45, maybe Allen, DanO and Narron will be shown to the exit.
If the new management really wants to make a big splash to start out, about the only positive action I can think to take would be sign Dunn to a long term deal.

[donnelly_31]

Not if you are the only restaurant in town.
you can always stay home and cook instead of going out though

[Krusty]

Well after reading the 15 pages of this post I can't believe the negativity that drips from this board. We have a new owner, something most of us has wanted for years. (Good News) The guy was not going to come out on his first day of the job and anounce that he has fired everyone and traded for Zito, Randy Johnson, and signed Roger Clemons.

Let's be realistic here people. Give the guy a chance to sit at his new desk. Let's see what he does this first year before we jump off a bridge.

Things I will be looking for:

1. Does he increase the Reds scouting department(especially worldwide).
2. Does he increase the marketing of the Reds(Can a team be more plain Jane?)
3. What changes are instore for fans during games(Prices, increasing entertainment at games)
4. How does his first draft go(do they go after the best player or most likely to sign?, do they sign them?).
5. When the Reds fall out of contention, how quick does he fire DO? who does he get to replace him? Do they have a firesale, or just a couple of trades?
6. Most of all I will see how he handlesthe young core (Dunn, Harrang, Lopez) do they get LTD?

The Reds are in a Bad situation that is going to take time to fix, let's not expect him to build Rome in a day.

Just copy the St. Louis Cardinals blueprints.

[traderumor]

Just reviewed the pre presser video, got all goose bumpy. Very nice video montage.

[Jpup]

Just reviewed the pre presser video, got all goose bumpy. Very nice video montage.

linkage? I haven't seen the video, just listened to audio.

[MikeS21]

I still have some reservations about Castellini's baseball savy relating to the farm system.

His previous experience is the Reds of the 80's followed by the Rangers and the Orioles. None of those teams were known for talent or for strong farm systems. His involvement with the Cardinals may be promising, but as good as the Cardinals are, they are not known for a strong farm system.

What credentials does BoB have as far as bringing in talent evaluators for minor league prospects?

From this fan's perspective, I want to see home grown talent on the field. A "bought" winner may be OK, but a home grown winner would be best.

[Heath]

Maybe Matt Morris was being wooed to Cincinnati by DanO in an effort to save his job.

I think DanO would be better served lost in a pile of scouts. I think the chasing down of Rich Aurilia and the signing of Eric Milton to pitch in this ball-park proved to me that he had no idea to build a ballclub at the major league level.

[gonelong]

But he also seems to think that there's a Chris Carpenter rebound type hidden somewhere on the Reds team. I don't for the life of me know what that's all about. Of all the things Castellini said, that's the one thing he kept repeating that concerns me because it's a completely unreasonable way to think.


Reading between the lines I took him to mean that he can't get everything fixed in one year. We have a couple of guys coming back, and who knows what they might accomplish, given our offense, don't give up hope on this year yet. The unexpected does happen sometimes.

I don't at all get the feeling he is expecting a CC type return out of any of the guys.

IMO he seems to understand the issues that the team is faced with, and he blew PR smoke on a few things because he doesn't just want to come out and tell the team they suck and they should toss away 2006. Thats not a good idea if you are going to go about trying to sign Dunn, Lopez, Harang, etc.

I thought yesterday was about as good as things could go short of just firing DanO, which I did not expect to happen anyway.

GL

[KronoRed]

At this point I'd like to see the Reds sign a few aliens for the pitching staff. Couldn't hurt.;)

I've suggested it before, but Chewbacca would be the best pitcher :D

[Heath]

Hey - couple things I think we missed (if it was possible)

Joe Nuxhall's going to be back in the radio booth. Wonder if it's just for home games.

Nice to see Tom Browning dressed up - could it hurt for him to dress in tie, instead of looking like he just rolled out of bed? :D

[marcshoe]

But he also seems to think that there's a Chris Carpenter rebound type hidden somewhere on the Reds team. I don't for the life of me know what that's all about. Of all the things Castellini said, that's the one thing he kept repeating that concerns me because it's a completely unreasonable way to think.

I like that he seems to know what's most broken, but the whole Cris Carpenter thing is akin to being lost in the desert while pinning your hopes on the idea that aliens will show up to rescue you. That was just bizzare to me.


This is why I had negative feelings about the press conference, and was surprised at the somewhat positive response here. I got the idea that he thought that this team could become better with its current pitching personnel.

I kept hearing, "we will be better," but I didn't hear, "we will get better."

But I'm always willing to be persuaded. If the hidden meaning of it all is that O'Brien's on his way out, that's great. I will be very happy to be convinced this press conference was a positive.

[919191]

Hey - couple things I think we missed (if it was possible)

Joe Nuxhall's going to be back in the radio booth. Wonder if it's just for home games.

Nice to see Tom Browning dressed up - could it hurt for him to dress in tie, instead of looking like he just rolled out of bed? :D


I didn't hear anything about Nuxhall being back on radio. Could you fill me in on what you heard?

[Heath]

I didn't hear anything about Nuxhall being back on radio. Could you fill me in on what you heard?


HOW THE OWNERSHIP CHANGE AFFECTS THE CLUB
What's the payroll going to be?

Bob Castellini said the payroll will be in the $60 million-$65 million range. He cited the Chicago White Sox and Houston as teams with comparable payrolls that made the World Series last year. Actually, Houston's was $76.7 million and Chicago's was $75.1 million. Castellini did say the Reds would increase the payroll to make the right trade.

Where do O'Brien and Allen stand?

Both still have jobs. Allen, the chief operating officer, will run the business operation, but he will report directly to Castellini. Previously, he reported to Allen. Castellini will spend time learning about the operation before making changes. But, he said: "I'm impatient."

All in the family

Dick Williams, the 35-year-old son of Joe Williams, will join the club and work out of the general manager's office. Brothers Joe and Tom Williams are partners with Castellini. Joe will serve as chairman, Tom as vice-chairman and treasurer. Dick Williams had been an investment banker in Atlanta.

Nuxie will be back
Joe Nuxhall, who was forced into retirement by the previous regime, will see increased time in the radio booth this year. "I'm not sure how many (games)," Nuxhall said, "but more than last year." Nuxhall said Castellini invited him back.
Tapping into tradition II
Reds Hall of Famer George Foster was at Friday's news conference. He said hello to Castellini, who invited Foster to spring training on the spot.



From the Enquirer --> Link to Story (http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060121/SPT04/601210366/1071)

[KronoRed]

I'm not in favor of Joe being brought back to call play by play, he just doesn't do a good job at it anymore, him and Steve do make a good combo when Steve does the calls..but please..don't bring Joe back on PBP.

[CincyReds2003]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060121/SPT04/601210366

In today's article in the Enquirer, written by John Fay, this portion really caught my eye....

After tiring of the team's losing ways, Castellini did not renew his luxury box at Great American Ball Park after 2003.

"As a Cincinnatian, I found it very aggravating not to see that same passion," he said. "This is a Reds town."

The ownership is going to be a learning process for Castellini, but I truly think that results will begin to show. Will it happen in a year? Probably not, but the last thing he is going to want is to lose money on attendance, as well as garnish a bad name like Mike Brown experienced in the 13 years before they got their stuff together. Another part of the article pretty much put DanO on notice...

One telling move was whom they hired. Dick Williams, the 35-year-old son of Joe Williams, will work in the front office and work out of O'Brien's department.

O'Brien is under contract through the end of the season.

"Dan's very hard-working," Castellini said. "Things haven't gone well on his watch. He knows that."

I know that there have been rumblings of Lou becoming the next GM, but it sounds like Joe Williams is waiting in the wings to become the new GM.

As a Reds fan, I'm going to be patient and see what happens before making any conclusions on the new group, especially since all we can do is hope after experiencing 6 years of losing. Hopefully, we can celebrate the best of both worlds in Cincinnati, with both the Reds and Bengals winning.

[pedro]

who is Joe Willams?

[CincyReds2003]

who is Joe Willams?

I'm sorry..I meant Dick Williams, who is the son of Joe Williams, one of the new minority owners of the Reds. I have googled his name, but I keep coming up with the old MLB manager Dick Williams.

[Matt700wlw]

Just copy the St. Louis Cardinals blueprints.


Wouldn't be a bad thing.

[Matt700wlw]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060121/SPT04/601210366

In today's article in the Enquirer, written by John Fay, this portion really caught my eye....

After tiring of the team's losing ways, Castellini did not renew his luxury box at Great American Ball Park after 2003.

"As a Cincinnatian, I found it very aggravating not to see that same passion," he said. "This is a Reds town."

The ownership is going to be a learning process for Castellini, but I truly think that results will begin to show. Will it happen in a year? Probably not, but the last thing he is going to want is to lose money on attendance, as well as garnish a bad name like Mike Brown experienced in the 13 years before they got their stuff together. Another part of the article pretty much put DanO on notice...

One telling move was whom they hired. Dick Williams, the 35-year-old son of Joe Williams, will work in the front office and work out of O'Brien's department.

O'Brien is under contract through the end of the season.

"Dan's very hard-working," Castellini said. "Things haven't gone well on his watch. He knows that."

I know that there have been rumblings of Lou becoming the next GM, but it sounds like Joe Williams is waiting in the wings to become the new GM.

As a Reds fan, I'm going to be patient and see what happens before making any conclusions on the new group, especially since all we can do is hope after experiencing 6 years of losing. Hopefully, we can celebrate the best of both worlds in Cincinnati, with both the Reds and Bengals winning.

Can't complain about any of this...

[MWM]

Oh wouldn't that be lovely - putting a guy in the General Manager's position whose sole qualification is he is the son of one of the owners.

And who cares about being hard working? I'm hard working, too. And if he admits that things haven't gone well on his watch, why would you want to pin your hopes of turning the club around on him?

[KronoRed]

Oh wouldn't that be lovely - putting a guy in the General Manager's position whose sole qualification is he is the son of one of the owners.
Is unfireable a word?

[SteelSD]

Is unfireable a word?

I think it's like the "flammable/inflammable" thing.

"Unfireable/Infireable"

;)

[MWM]

Oh, and per Marc Lancaster, DanO and John Allen were in fact at the press conference yesterday, just not on the podium. So there's goes that as a symbol of potential dismissal.

[Falls City Beer]

Oh, and per Marc Lancaster, DanO and John Allen were in fact at the press conference yesterday, just not on the podium. So there's goes that as a symbol of potential dismissal.

Yep. My take on Castellini is that he's a guy who likes to let down other guys easy--giving DanO and Allen a chance to ride out their contracts is the ultimate show of "graciousness" to Carl. He seems more impressed with doing things the "honorable" way than the efficacious way--think Lear, not Macbeth--a sentimental clod who means well, works hard, but hates the idea of getting blood on his hands for his first foray into ownership that is as public as a baseball business is.

Now it's entirely possible that that's a ruse--the image he's projecting. I can only hope that this men of honor crap is just a left-handed front for the strangulation that's going on behind the scenes. But going on what was said, the guy sounds like he's trying to make a bunch of people happy at the same time.

[TeamBoone]

I still have some reservations about Castellini's baseball savy relating to the farm system.

Perhaps he knows someone who has that savvy... and intends to hire that person.

[TeamBoone]

I'm not in favor of Joe being brought back to call play by play, he just doesn't do a good job at it anymore, him and Steve do make a good combo when Steve does the calls..but please..don't bring Joe back on PBP.

I totally agree. Not that I don't love Joe, but Krono's right... "he just doesn't do a good job at it anymore".

I got really tired of scratching my head, wondering what the heck he was trying to say and having to guess at what was happening.

Joe's days are over and IMHO, that should have been left alone.

[TeamBoone]

Yep. My take on Castellini is that he's a guy who likes to let down other guys easy--giving DanO and Allen a chance to ride out their contracts is the ultimate show of "graciousness" to Carl. He seems more impressed with doing things the "honorable" way than the efficacious way--think Lear, not Macbeth--a sentimental clod who means well, works hard, but hates the idea of getting blood on his hands for his first foray into ownership that is as public as a baseball business is.

Now it's entirely possible that that's a ruse--the image he's projecting. I can only hope that this men of honor crap is just a left-handed front for the strangulation that's going on behind the scenes. But going on what was said, the guy sounds like he's trying to make a bunch of people happy at the same time.

How can you make this assessment after only one day's observation?

Like I said in another thread (or maybe it was earlier in this one), he would have gotten zero brownie points by waltzing through the door with guns blazing. That's just not the way you win people over, including the fans.

"giving DanO and Allen a chance to ride out their contracts is the ultimate show of "graciousness" to Carl." How the heck to you know that's what his intention is? It more sounds to me like he is doing exactly what he should be doing... while assessing the situation from the inside, he's stopped the bleeding by curtailing Allen's ultimate authority and by making sure DOB has to go through him before doing anything more that's stupid. Then he can intelligently makes the necessary changes.

To me, this is the right thing to do.

[M2]

Like I said in another thread (or maybe it was earlier in this one), he would have gotten zero brownie points by waltzing through the door with guns blazing. That's just not the way you win people over, including the fans.

Boy, I couldn't disagree more. If Castellini had walked in with a new team in hand and talked about how he loved baseball, gave up his box seats two seasons ago and isn't going to waste so much as a second in restoring this franchise into something fans can be proud of then pretty much every fan of this franchise would be buzzing with excitement.

Think about it, everything people are lauding in the wake of this press conference revolves around the idea that he's going to get those guns blazing in short order. Imagine if he'd actually done it instead of hint at it? I can't think of a better way to have won fans over, convinced them to buy ticket packages and grabbed national attention than by coming in with his guns blazing.

It wasn't a prerequisite, but it certainly would have shaken the cobwebs loose from this franchise and fans would have LOVED it.

[BCubb2003]

To me, this is the right thing to do.

Absolutely. He's merely being a professional. He's not going to come in and call people morons and embarrass them in public. He has set some high standards, and he has given no indication that he'd keep somebody on just because of an old boys network. It's all talk right now, but he has said things that he can be held accountable for.

[Heath]

Somebody get me the background of Walt Jocketty please.

Also - possible contract status.

[Chip R]

I tell you, if I were Steve Stewart and the Reds gave me any less games to do than what I am supposed to do, I start sending my resume out to every other major league team. Now if Joe is doing games in place of Marty, that's another story.

Saw something interesting today on my way to work. I had just turned on Colerain Ave off of West Fork Rd. and saw a Reds billboard up there. Bout drove my car into a tree I was so surprised. Advertising season tickets and group tickets. It's the first time I noticed it.

[traderumor]

I still have some reservations about Castellini's baseball savy relating to the farm system.

His previous experience is the Reds of the 80's followed by the Rangers and the Orioles. None of those teams were known for talent or for strong farm systems. His involvement with the Cardinals may be promising, but as good as the Cardinals are, they are not known for a strong farm system.

What credentials does BoB have as far as bringing in talent evaluators for minor league prospects?

From this fan's perspective, I want to see home grown talent on the field. A "bought" winner may be OK, but a home grown winner would be best.
I just want to see talent. I don't care if they come from BFE and cost two whole camels and an oil field.

[UC_Ken]

I tell you, if I were Steve Stewart and the Reds gave me any less games to do than what I am supposed to do, I start sending my resume out to every other major league team. Now if Joe is doing games in place of Marty, that's another story.

Saw something interesting today on my way to work. I had just turned on Colerain Ave off of West Fork Rd. and saw a Reds billboard up there. Bout drove my car into a tree I was so surprised. Advertising season tickets and group tickets. It's the first time I noticed it.

Like most around here I grew up listening to Marty and Joe in the '80s. I'll always remember falling asleep listening to 700. That said Joe hasn't had any business broadcasting baseball on the radio in well over 10 years. On radio you need someone to be descriptive and tell you everything that's happening. Dead Air Nuxall doesn't cut it. I'm glad Castellini want to celebrate Reds tradition but if he wants to give Nuxall a more prominent role he should move him to the TV side. Grande is worthless and as long as I can see the game on TV Nuxall's dead air is wouldn't be that bad.

[Unassisted]

I just noticed that Lance has a couple of relevant audio clips posted on his weblog.

At http://www.lance1360homer.com/2006/01/interviews-for-podcast_20.html you'll find a 16-minute MP3 of the presser and a 6-minute MP3 of Lance's interview with BobCast after the presser.

For those of you who do the podcast thing, you can subscribe to Lance's podcast RSS feed and get these automatically.

[Chip R]

Like most around here I grew up listening to Marty and Joe in the '80s. I'll always remember falling asleep listening to 700. That said Joe hasn't had any business broadcasting baseball on the radio in well over 10 years. On radio you need someone to be descriptive and tell you everything that's happening. Dead Air Nuxall doesn't cut it. I'm glad Castellini want to celebrate Reds tradition but if he wants to give Nuxall a more prominent role he should move him to the TV side. Grande is worthless and as long as I can see the game on TV Nuxall's dead air is wouldn't be that bad.

I agree totally. Nux would be fine on TV. If Harry Carey could do it, Nux could. I love nostalgia but when I'm listening to a game, I depend on the announcer to tell me what's going on. Joe can't do that anymore and if a player for the Reds played like Joe announces, Marty would be all over him. I feel so bad for Steve. :(

[wheels]

Are we the only people in the world that are wondering about Dan O'Brien's fate?

The media hasn't addressed it, and sometimes I wonder if the lay fans even know he exists.

I was talking Baseball to someone the other day, and I brought up DanO and my disdain for the job he's done.

His reply?

"Well, he's only been on the job for less than a year...."

I don't know if Mr. Castellini will really listen to the fans or not, but I wouldn't count on public outcry to get O'Brien fired.

He's got the writers in his back pocket (I still can't figure that one out), and most of the fans don't even know who he is.

[Falls City Beer]

Are we the only people in the world that are wondering about Dan O'Brien's fate?

The media hasn't addressed it, and sometimes I wonder if the lay fans even know he exists.

I was talking Baseball to someone the other day, and I brought up DanO and my disdain for the job he's done.

His reply?

"Well, he's only been on the job for less than a year...."

I don't know if Mr. Castellini will really listen to the fans or not, but I wouldn't count on public outcry to get O'Brien fired.

He's got the writers in his back pocket (I still can't figure that one out), and most of the fans don't even know who he is.


Interesting point. I don't think Castellini genuinely comprehends what he's dealing with. I think it takes someone like us to know exactly the depths of the problem. It's all about perspective.

[wheels]

Interesting point. I don't think Castellini genuinely comprehends what he's dealing with. I think it takes someone like us to know exactly the depths of the problem. It's all about perspective.

It's sad, really.

I'm not especially bright. I don't have an interesting profession.

By most accounts, I'm not a particularly remarkable guy.

How in the world do I have a better perspective on things than someone who's paid for it?

I think the media in Cincinnati is as much to blame for the plight of the Reds as anyone.

They don't work to inform the public (the relative disinterest when the sale was pending is proof of that), and what information they present isn't particularly well thought out.

I guarantee no writer will step forward and openly put DanO's feet to the fire.
Either they collectively don't understand the depth of his ineptitude, or they're too beholden to him for source material. Either way, he's never been held publicly accountable for the damage he has wrought, and may never be.

That being the case, the fans at large will remain woefully misinformed.

[Chip R]

Interesting point. I don't think Castellini genuinely comprehends what he's dealing with. I think it takes someone like us to know exactly the depths of the problem. It's all about perspective.

I pray that Bob gets to spend as much time with DanO as humanly possible. I'd wager that DanO will drive him out of his skull sooner rather than later.

And I wouldn't sweat the media apparantly not being displeased with DanO. Around here the media doesn't do the hiring and firing of managers and GMs. If that was the case, McKeon would still be here. And I wouldn't say he has the media in his back pocket either. Hal gave him holy hell for trading Casey. None of them thought he should have traded Reitsma. The curious man-love he has for Machado, Romano and to a lesser degree, Hancock has been talked about as well. Sacking Miley wasn't a popular move since the press to a man loved Miley. He isn't good copy like JimBo was. I don't think there will be a lot of outrage in the media when DanO is gone. I don't think they are actively rooting for him to fail but no one's singing his praises either.

[savafan]

Would those of you who object to Nuxhall's return to the booth be as upset about it if you were to learn that Nuxie was joining Marty and the Bad Boy as a three man broadcast team?

[WVRedsFan]

I'm not in favor of Joe being brought back to call play by play, he just doesn't do a good job at it anymore, him and Steve do make a good combo when Steve does the calls..but please..don't bring Joe back on PBP.

Krono, you didn't grow up with Joe doing pbp. I'll tell you now, he's not much worse than he was in 1967 if that helps any.

I imagine that Joe will be doing home games with Marty and Steve as a third man in the booth and it will involve some pbp. You won't understand this, but not hearing Joe on the broadcasts this year was painful to me. Hearing Joe yell, "get up, get out" on a homerun in the background was missed by this old fart. Welcome back, Joe.

[KronoRed]

I tell you, if I were Steve Stewart and the Reds gave me any less games to do than what I am supposed to do, I start sending my resume out to every other major league team. Now if Joe is doing games in place of Marty, that's another story.

That's what I hope, Steve and Joe make a good team, Marty seems to leave the booth when Steve and Joe do PBP, while Steve hangs around and helps.

A 3 man booth? eh..too many people and probably more golf stories.

[Chip R]

A 3 man booth? eh..too many people and probably more golf stories.
Agreed. Most of the time only one person is calling the game. The problem is too that except for a series in StL, Joe is probably only going to do home games.

[Heath]

Agreed. Most of the time only one person is calling the game. The problem is too that except for a series in StL, Joe is probably only going to do home games.

and for a guy approaching 80 - I'm fine with that.....

Let Marty do 1-2, Steve 3-4, Marty 5-6, Joe 7, Marty 8-9.

Alternate extra innings.

[KronoRed]

Or just let Steve and Joe do 1-5, Marty 6 and 7 and Steve and Joe 8-9

:D

[savafan]

A follow-up to this post would be greatly appreciated

Okay, one major move down, a couple more to come.

[redsfan30]

Okay, one major move down, a couple more to come.
Player-wise or personel-wise?

[savafan]

Player-wise or personel-wise?

both

[WVRedsFan]

both

Don't tease us, Sava. Give us the scoop.

[savafan]

Don't tease us, Sava. Give us the scoop.

I don't have the scoop. I just heard early last week from someone close to Marty Brennamen that Marty knew DanO would be fired shortly. The other two things I've heard concerns Dunn and Narron.

[Puffy]

I don't have the scoop. I just heard early last week from someone close to Marty Brennamen that Marty knew DanO would be fired shortly. The other two things I've heard concerns Dunn and Narron.

Please tell me one of those things involves the words "contract" and extension?"

[WVRedsFan]

I don't have the scoop. I just heard early last week from someone close to Marty Brennamen that Marty knew DanO would be fired shortly. The other two things I've heard concerns Dunn and Narron.

Sorry. I didn't read the rest of the forum and found out about O'Brien. Got a notice of your message and got excited.

I hope it's a LTC for Dunn and a replacement for Jerry. Now that I've got the first goal (in my mind), I want more.

Oh, yeah...and Allen's pink slip, too.

[redsfan30]

Long term deal, or trade?

[savafan]

If the rumors I've heard are true, it will be huge, and Reds fans will be excited about the 2006 season and beyond. The word "contract" might have been mentioned in there somewhere. ;)

[Puffy]

Yes - Davey Johnson is coming back and Dunn will sign an extension.

I'm down with it!

[redsfan30]

If the rumors I've heard are true, it will be huge, and Reds fans will be excited about the 2006 season and beyond. The word "contract" might have been mentioned in there somewhere. ;)
I know we're putting you on the spot, but when can we look for this to happen? Also when will the Jerry Narron situation come to the forefront?

[savafan]

I'm not a prophet Redsfan30, I was told things would improve around May.

One other thing, don't be surprised to see a Barry Larkin Day on the schedule in 2006.

[redsfan30]

May, huh? Wonder if that means giving Sweet Lou enough of a "break" then coming in for Narron?

[savafan]

It could be that Mr. Castellini wants time to evaluate Jerry Narron without mandates from Dan O'Brien.

[pedro]

I'm not a prophet Redsfan30, I was told things would improve around May.

One other thing, don't be surprised to see a Barry Larkin Day on the schedule in 2006.

Savafan, have you been talking to John Titor again?

[RFS62]

Savafan, have you been talking to John Titor again?


Savafan IS John Titor.

:cool:

[savafan]

Savafan, have you been talking to John Titor again?

That's funny, because I had a paper on time travel theory published by a New York University professor back in 1996.