Quote:
Originally Posted by M2
I think you'd find plenty of people would love to see certain veteran players on this team. The problem is the Reds have made a habit of acquiring poor ones over the years. Also, some of the capable veterans the team has acquired have been thrust into the wrong role. For instance, David Weathers is not a guy I'd want closing games for a full season. Ken Griffey Jr. played CF roughly five seasons past the point where he should have been moved to a corner.
Also, though many fans, the franchise and the media try to ignore it, the Reds are rebuilding. The reality is, this franchise needs young talent more than most and until it gets the right mix of young talent then no amount of veteran presence is going to matter.
That's become a bit of a broken record with this franchise. THIS year they've got the right veterans to avoid disasters like last year. It's like watching Bullwinkle trying to pull a rabbit out of his hat. No way, no how would Mike Stanton and Alex Gonzalez have pulled the Reds out of that West Coast nose dive last season. In fact they both played for teams that took late season nose dives in 2006.
If the Reds break through in 2006 it will be because Kyle Lohse is having a career year, because Matt Belisle has become a dependable starter, because some young arms in the bullpen have stepped up, because the Hobbs Hamilton phenomenon keeps rolling, because Brandon Phillips takes another step forward, because Adam Dunn pushes his OPS up toward 1.000 and because Edwin Encarnacion settles down and produces in the middle of the lineup. It's not going to be because older guys have taught the team how to cheat the margins, it will be because younger guys have erased the margins.
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valid point...I just remember that "deer in the headlights" look about the club for that 2 week stretch...it's like watching teams like the Magic, Raptors, Nuggets etc in the NBA playoffs...they don't know how to close games out so the more experienced teams (Pistons, Nets, Spurs) find ways to win...
I do totally agree that lesser-tier vets don't drive the bus, stars do...but sometimes they adjust the steering wheel...