Castellini and Doc
Posted by TimCurtis at 1/23/2009 8:32 PM EST on Cincinnati.com
Bob Castellini later went on Doc's show on WLW tonight to again clear the air about today's Enquirer article and what he has said. Here's the transcript from the beginning of the interview:
Doc: What would you like to say, Bob Castellini, to Reds Nation right now?
BC: Well, I’d like to say
we’ve got a fantastic team. We are very high on this team. If there is any question about us giving up on the Reds this season it’s out of the question. We’ve put together everything but what people say is a right-handed power hitter probably in left field. However, we’ve got a great defensive left-field combination, if Jerry (Hairston) doesn’t have to play shortstop he’s out there with Chris Dickerson and even Norris Hopper. So our defense is fantastic. Our speed in unparalleled.
Our pitching staff is the best we’ve had in years. Probably, I don’t know, maybe 15 years … and it’s complete from four rotation people and we’ll have a fifth with some very good aspirants and we’ll have a bullpen that is certainly the best in our division and one of the best in the National League.
So we’re excited about the team. And I think the article today didn’t necessarily say we weren’t excited about it, but I kind of got the impression that maybe you could read that we weren’t excited about it. I don’t think John meant to put it that way, but that’s what I read. I think the first half of the article was about me and talking to John about taking me out of context, and I got myself into that problem with John. And, you know, it’s my fault. But …
Doc: You’re talking about John Fay from the Enquirer.
BC: Yeah. The fact our franchise gets rapped is why I’m here tonight. But I’ll explain the first part also.
When we first bought the team, Doc, as you recall, we said we were going to win. And that’s the way we feel. And every day we go to work that’s the way everybody in that building feels, or everybody who is part of the organization all over the country.
And what we mean by winning is: not just games, winning in attitude, winning in organization. And we’ve put together what we feel is a very, very good organization. I think Walt has done a very good job in this last year. As far as attitude is concerned, we have an attitude of winning in our franchise, there’s no question about that. Certainly winning in the minor leagues.
And winning in the major leagues. Was it going to be done overnight, no. Did I say it was going to be overnight, if I implied that I wasn’t that naïve to think that we could buy a bunch of free agents and ruin the franchise by winning one division title and riding off into the sunset, which happens to a lot of teams. However, I think the interpretation was that way, and so I was kind of funning with John, and I was half serious, but half funning with him, and I said, ‘Come on, we’re ready to win now, this is our year.’ I implied that but I didn’t get to finish it because we were walking down the sidewalk anyway. That was my point. The interpretation of me saying, ‘We’re going to win now,’ was really probably a little too overdone not just by any one particular person but everybody in the sports media based in Reds country. I was trying to explain that a little bit and say you know, ‘This is our year.’
Doc: Just to put to rest the notion that we in the media took you out of context, when you say when you bring Walt in, we’re not going to lose anymore, we take that literally.
BC: No, but I used the wrong words, Paul. It was not out of context. That was my fault. I said the interpretation was probably a little different than my interpretation but I used the wrong terminology, no question.