My problem with Jocketty is that he doesn't do much of anything. He seems content to sit around and do nothing which will never improve the club. Half way and almost just doesn't get it done. I can't think of one deal that Jocketty has made to improve the Reds for the future, not one.
"My mission is to be the ray of hope, the guy who stands out there on that beautiful field and owns up to his mistakes and lets people know it's never completely hopeless, no matter how bad it seems at the time. I have a platform and a message, and now I go to bed at night, sober and happy, praying I can be a good messenger." -Josh Hamilton
Is it the GM's fault as much as it's those that control his reign (.i.e. ownership)?
We brought in some "St Louis boys", such as Bob C and then Jocketty, and some hoped they'd be able to replicate that same success here. But Walt's success in St Louis, being able to make that big deal, and being the GM who was "in the right place at the right time", was coupled with the fact that the ownership put up the monies to score those players.
I don't see that happening here in Cincy. Sure, we still have some big contracts on the books in guys like Harang, Arroyo, and Cordero; but we've also cleared some monies off the books too with Jr, Dunn, and Milton.
And we're hearing rumors that they'd love to clear maybe one or two of those contracts out if they could. Subtraction can be good; but where's the additions?
One of the "worries" concerning Walt was that he isn't that big when it comes to the draft/farm system, and that he may trade away what talent we have built up in that system for short-term success. Well, he hasn't done that, and I give him credit.
But is the reason he hasn't done so is because this ownership refuses to put up that money, even if such a Jocketty deal presented itself?
"In my day you had musicians who experimented with drugs. Now it's druggies experimenting with music" - Alfred G Clark (circa 1972)
The purse strings and ownership's control is always the first thing to make or break a GM.
I think that you are pointing out that it can be done, and of course you’re right. Also many other’s over time have pointed out that other organizations such as Minnesota, Oakland, Florida, and Tampa have done it, so it can be done. It is very important in those, that prospects and trades become something of an improvement moving forward and that the cash available be applied diligently in a positive. The guys are right, it is how you spend the money and utilize those resources.
I also think that those that work so hard and long to point out the numbers/stats that are the drivers for the offensive, pitching and defensive stats are correct too, because those drive the numbers that go into the win, loss, runs scored and runs allowed numbers that are an accumulation of the individual player and team stats.
So the talent has to move toward increasing the stats in a positive direction for offense, pitching and defense. The general manager, no matter who he is has to upgrade the performances, and I think that is what the people really want to see, is that which, is clearly moving in that direction, supported by some numbers we call stats which are the historical records of player production, that feed team performance and team performance records.
These numbers tell the guys that work on them passionately if what the front office does or does not is moving toward achieving paragraph one above.
When we look at the individual player, that makes up the team and see the same basic numbers of production and performance for around or about the same money, well, we tend to realize that the outcomes will be at or about what they were listed in the win/loss, runs scored, runs allowed columns in the past, as if those were the bottom line from all the detail stats (offense, defense, pitching stats) that go into creating that bottom line of runs scored, runs allowed, win, loss etc.
Last edited by Spring~Fields; 12-25-2009 at 01:27 PM.
I think it depends on a few other things, mainly how long we are talking about. If a guy has 3 years, its tough to judge him solely on W/L record because they may have been building toward the future. Short term losses in favor of long term gains. Likewise a team could take long term losses for short term gains that resulted in winning big one season but losing the subsequent several seasons because of what it cost to win that one year.
After reading all 85 posts in this thread, I've decided to follow RedLegSuperStar's lead and just get rid of everyone by selling the franhise to Donald Trump. Unlimited money means that we won't have to worry about payroll and how much anyone is making (which is a tradition of Reds fans). We can hire Wayne Krivsky back to the pleasure of many. Fire Dusty Baker. Trade for Edwin Encarnacion because he has so much potential. DFA Taveras, Codero, and a host of others. And the list is endless.
Of course, Trump would move the club to Atlantic City, so I guess that's not such a good ideda.
Sorry. Christmas depression setting in. Along with 30 inches of snow...
"My mission is to be the ray of hope, the guy who stands out there on that beautiful field and owns up to his mistakes and lets people know it's never completely hopeless, no matter how bad it seems at the time. I have a platform and a message, and now I go to bed at night, sober and happy, praying I can be a good messenger." -Josh Hamilton
A young reliever that has game finishing potential and served very well as the setup guy in one of the league's top bullpen? If that isn't a future oriented move, none are.
The others you mention are current needs and clearly the weakest links in this ballclub. Addressing those needs is actually more likely to be a short-term move for a good GM.
"Rounding 3rd and heading for home, good night everybody"
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