This team isn't that bad, is it?
At what point do they cut their loss with their manager? Eat his contract?
I say Dusty gets fired halfway through next season if it's the same results.
This team isn't that bad, is it?
At what point do they cut their loss with their manager? Eat his contract?
I say Dusty gets fired halfway through next season if it's the same results.
I think this team could sure stand Firing Dick Pole and the Hitting Instructor, whoever that is...
i think they will stick with dusty, he's proven he can win unlike the other managers who were here, so that will give him more time in my opinion. Also i don't see them being in this same place next year, they should be a very good team next season after these young guys have a year of experience under their belts.
Too long.
And I think this team will stink again next season if they don't set themselves up properly by trading a few expensive players by the deadline.
FIRE DUSTY BAKER
ADOPT THIS SIGNATURE IN SOLIDARITY!!!
Dusty Baker is not this teams problem. I have disagreed with a Baker's moves several times this year, but this team is not built to win right now. The Reds have an aging superstar in RF, have used four shortstops, and are loaded with young players who are going to make mistakes. There isn't a manager in the world who would win with these guys -- at least for right now.
I do agree, however, that the Reds need to look for a new hitting coach. When Braden Looper can throw a complete game on 98 pitches in one of the best hitters parks in the league, you know you have a major problem.
Dusty's philosphy is what is killing this team, causing hacking at the plate. I say they stick with him for:
3 years, $10.5 million.
Until he stops batting CF's and SS's 1st and 2nd, regardless of that player's abilities - this lineup will continue to cause great pains to the Offensive Production.
That being said, it appears our biggest issues remain with Pitching and Defense, and nothing DUHsty is doing in that regards is hurting us. However, his insistence on prioritizing Defense over Offense - in Corey Patterson, Paul Janish, etc.. - has a DIRECT correlation to the point above, since those positions are CF and SS. SO, we can't win for losing, literally...
PEACE
-BLEEDS
I think that in a year or two, one of these guys - Frazier, Dorn, Valaika, Cumberland, Stubbs - will be ready to replace Dunn. They won't hit as many home runs as Dunn, but they should have similar OPS. - 757690, July 22, 2008
Alonso will be playing 1B for the REDS and batting 4th one year from today. - Kingspoint, July 9, 2009
This team has the potential to be very good. The streaky hitting is a problem obviously but I get the feeling we are on the verge of really putting it together. Dusty has won before. The youth of this team is a bigger problem than anything else right now.
If Jason LaRue can hit a HR against one of your better pitcher, it's time to move on to another pitching coach.
I wouldn't mind maybe putting Bench in there as pitching coach. Or hell, get Pete unsuspended and make him the hitting coach (... in other words, as likely as Bench being the pitching coach).
Dusty's a proven winner, BAY-BEE. There shall be no baseclogging for years to come yet.
There are 162 games in a season. There are going to be many times when a lesser player hits a HR off a better player; hell it happens all the time. Brandan Freakin' Larson popped a monster shot off of Randy Johnson a couple years ago -- should the D'Backs have fired their pitching coach than? And Cueto's extremely young and is a rookie. If you didn't expect him to have his rough patches, you're stuck on cloud nine.
Just because Bench is one of the all time greats doesn't make him a quality pitching coach. Might as well try to sign Sandy Koufax to become our pitching coach with that logic.
I guess I'm in the minority here. I say they stick with Dusty. This team is not designed to win NOW. I've said this since the off-season that this year should be about 2 things and 2 things only. Improvement and youth experience. The kids should get a good deal of playing time to get them ready for the bigs. And steady improvement, even moderate improvement, is enough to show me that they're taking steps forward. A few games under .500 is improvement already, despite what some here want to claim. Toss the Reds into the NL west and we'd be in 3rd place. In the AL central...3rd place. The thing that makes it seem so dreadful this year is the constant ups and downs and the fact that the Cubs have the best record in baseball making our current standing look that much worse.
This team is on the right track. Does anybody really think Harang is going to continue to pitch at a 2-9 pace? Does anybody think we'll consistantly have multiple injuries decimating our starting line-up? Does anybody seriously think we won't be a better team next year with the kids being more experienced and with Junior not being a focal point in the lineup and OF defense? When you turn your team towards a youth movement you will flat-out experience higher highs and lower lows. Eratic defense, boneheaded plays on the basepaths, etc. Improvement, that's all we should be looking for right now. First place shouldn't even be in our thought process. It's heading in the right direction. For now, just enjoy watching the kids develop and saying your final farewells to the total package that was Junior Griffey. Despite the standings, it's a great time to be a Reds fan.
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