Baker on being three games from .500:
"It’s good for the organization adn the town, we haven’t had a winning season in seven years. That was my goal when I came here, to have a winning season. If you have a winning season, you can go from there. First you get to .500 and then you want to create some space between you and .500. Like my son told me last night, I didn’t even know this because I’m just trying to win every day, but he said, ‘You’re seven out of the wild card, dad.’ I was like, ‘thanks son.’
"That’s what you have to have in this game. I don’t care until we’re mathematically eliminated, I don’t care what anyone says.
"That’s why I’m glad baseball is in a very good financial state. Because what happened with Colorado last year, they’d have been dumping slaaries. There fore it gives you a chance for the miraculous comeback.
"There’s not a lot of buying and selling going on."
I followed up if he felt it was too early to be a seller at this point
"Yeah. You always want to improve, but you don’t want to delete, either. One of the problems we have here is keeping the team attitude and team-first down the stretch. It helps to be playing good baseball and being in a position where you might do something. I told the guys, you win and it stops the organization from doing wholesale anything. If you’re winning, it puts pressure on the organization to make a decision -- especially when you have 13 free agents, which is a lot. It’s the most I’ve ever had. Everybody’s more concerned about their future and playing time, which determines their future. That’s the biggest problem I have.
"You’ve got to be a quality-type free agent for someone to rent you. Are you going to give up top prospects for someone who might not even sign, unless you’re like Milwaukee and so close. That’s what they’re doing with C.C. unless they can entice him to sign.
Baker was asked if this team was particularly affected by players thinking about their future
"It’s nothing about the club, it’s human nature that you’re concerned about your future and your family’s future.
"If you play, everything will come. If you put playing in the game ahead of playing and contracts, the money will come. If you put the money in front of playing, it can come, but not as easy as it can. I tell my guys to keep your priorities straight, because when the game starts, the opposition doesn’t care how much you make, I don’t care how much you make. That’s your business.
"Around the trade deadline is tough, because guys are worried. That’s natural tough, it’s hard getting traded in the middle of the season -- what are you going to do with your family, your housing, that kind of stuff.
"The trade deadline doesn’t mean anything anyway, it always seems after the trade deadline, someone always gets traded anyway. I can’t figure out how some of these guys get through waivers.
"Most fo the time you’re a buyer when you have a pretty good chance of doing something.
"They tried to break our Dodger team up for a long time, they tried to break up the Yankees for a long time. It’s hard to break up a team that’s winning."
Also, I asked Baker about Griffey in the No. 3 spot, since that's the reason many of you have said they can't win a game...
"It’s something over time he’s earned. I know people say play him here or put him there, but he’s like Dunn, their averages are low, but their on-base percentage is high. Their on-base percentage is better than some of the guys that are hitting for high averages. I know they get paid to hit, but it also helps to get on base and put the pitcher in the stretch. Most starters don’t like being in the stretch.
"I still wish their averages were higher, you want everything, but you look around baseball and the league, you don’t see a lot of everythings. I’m seeing a lot of low averages and some with high production. A lot of strikeouts."
Griffey’s OBP is .348 -- that’s tied for fourth among the players in the Reds’ starting lineup on Sunday -- behind Dunn (.386), Jeff Keppinger (.356) and Edwin Encarnacion (.351). Joey Votto, like Griffey has a .348 OBP. Jay Bruce (.335), Brandon Phillips (.320) and Paul Bako (.299) have lower OBPs than Griffey.
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Originally Posted by KronoRed
