Cuban may know software, but...!?! This quote makes me think of Mike Brown. Enough said.Originally posted by letsgojunior
I was reading about Mark Cuban this morning, who personally I think is an immature nut, and he had a really good quote: "If you are not an involved owner, you are an idiot".
lgj, I am afraid that the small market thing is the biggest problem in REDS land and other ML cities. Case in point... the World Series champs of late: NY Yankees, Florida Marlins (before the fire-sale), Arizona Diamondbacks and Anaheim Angels (spent $500,000 more per player than the REDS). No Twins, A's, Expos or Marlins. Th Expos and Marlins may of had better W-L records than the REDS, but they still did not come close to making the post-season. Why? SMALL MARKET. If they had better records than the Braves (BIG MARKET... for many years and how many playoff appearances during those $years$?), then they would have made the post-season. Here's how I see the "game" of MLB in a nutshell over the last few decades:
1970's: Great time. Teams like the REDS, Orioles, Pirates, A's, Yankees and Dodgers are strong. Economics arenot a big issue. Some teams dwell in the cellar for the decade, but money is not the big issue.
1980's: Still a good competitive balance, but the "slide starts". Teams like the Phillies, Twins, '84 Tigers, Cards and the who could forget the Brew Crew are remembered. Free agency becomes a big thing and usually the high-bidder wins. The REDS do not win a division title in the decade.
1990's: "Oh crap", says fans in many cities. We see the WS cancelled b/c of a strike. We see salaries go through the ceiling thanks to MLB hobbyists like Turner, Steinbrenner and Jacobs. Fans get educated on new terms like SMALL MARKET, revenue sharing, collective bargaining, etc. BIG MARKET teams start winning the World Series every year.
Your term "sound baseball decisions and flexibility" makes me wonder. Is it a "sound baseball decision and flexible" to lose money (Linder)? And if Lindner approves add'l spending to make these decisions, can the REDS still outbid the BIG MARKET teams to acquire this "good" player? A catch-22 for SMALL MARKET teams. Just look at who got the rights to sign the latest Japnese and Cuban players to hit the U.S. The Yankees.
In regard to Oester, it did cause embarassment for the club. A lot brought on by "nice guy" Oester's comments. While Ronnie had no ML managerial experience to base judgement and I am not a big Bob Boone backer, I am glad he did not get the manager's job. He could of had it, if he would have accepted the offer made (6 figures to do the laborous job of managing a MLB team and a nice raise from a coach's salary... that good ol' American gluttony). He waited and felt the screw. Welcome to America.
In regard to Larkin, I'd venture to guess that you (like me and most REDS loyalists) were happy at the time. Hindsight tells us better. The same goes for the money spent on Junior. Utter excitement at the time by all REDS loyalists. Now many think the REDS are better off without him (spend the money on pitching, I hear). Hindsight again.