The whole Deno love-fest was more about attacking a management group than any thought that he was going to be a star. Many of us figured, and I still believe, that had he gotten sufficient opportunity when he was ready (age 24-25) that he'd be a .750-.775 OPS bat with very good CF defense through his prime. That's not amazing, but it's pretty valuable. Heck, it's what we're paying Corey Patterson $3M to do.
The Reds turned him in to a converted OF RP who they won't promote and the cash to buy out Rheal Cormier. The entire Deno hype was less about him specifically than about the Reds not properly using an asset.
Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.
For me it was Paul Householder (pre-RZ days, I know).
I thought he was going to be the next Mickey Mantle.
sorry we're boring
Austin Kearns. Maybe because I never really liked him and others here thought he was a perrenial All Star. He gets the Jimmy Binnie award. For those Flyers fans out here know what I mean. Binnie avg'd 6 pts his Sr. year, 4 pts his Fr-Jr. year. Many Flyers fans thought he was star, and a great shooter. Many of them still believe this even after his last game as a Flyer this year. I'm a die hard Flyer fan, so I'm not a rival fan taking a shot at them.
Kearns. The Deno bit was largely joking, and Wily Mo was full of potential, but there was always an element of doubt. Kearns seemed like a sure thing.
Who knows, maybe some day....
It is on the whole probable that we continually dream, but that consciousness makes such a noise that we do not hear it. Carl Jung.
Redus and Householder, yes and yes.
Frank Pastore and Bruce Berenyii, too.
Add in Dann Billardello to my own personal Wall of Shame.
As for Redszone as a whole, no doubt it's Dunn on the current team. He's given pretty much a free pass by some more knowledgeable fans on ORG because of his "Old Man" skills. (Of course, in the Sun Deck, they crucify him.)
As for ex-Reds, Kearns was considered by some (blush) to be similar to HOF RF such as former Tiger Al Kaline. Deno was merely considered a probable All Star by others.
"The players make the manager, it's never the other way." - Sparky Anderson
If we're going back to pre-Redszone days there's always Santo Alcala, Steve Henderson, Doug Flynn, Manny Sarmiento, Tom Carroll, Bernie Carbo....and later on, the guy the Reds should've kept instead of Larkin, Kurt Stilwell.
It is on the whole probable that we continually dream, but that consciousness makes such a noise that we do not hear it. Carl Jung.
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