My issue with Castellini is his spending doesn't back up his rhetoric. He has George Steinbrenner ambition on a George Costanza budget.
I always heard him called Leatherpants.
Then one night I was out at the movies with my kids, up by Kings Island, and sure enough I look over and it's Jim Bowden with some hot looking chick.
And wouldn't you know it..........he had his leatherpants on.
It was hard to keep a straight face.
If ever there were a person in this world who does not look like they belong in leather pants, it's JimBo... But he really did come off as a nice guy who had no issue talking shop with me on his time off and did it on HIS time.....I am a fan of his for that one day only, but I will never want him back in this organization.
I still say the extremely wet Spring, including into June, and the poor economy have alot to do with attendance not being better.
the attendance stinks because the team stinks
the manager is inept
the general manager is senile , he thinks acquiring heredia is a key off season move
They haven't done anything for the past how many winters? Why expect this one to be any different. When you are a small-market club and your window is open a bit you need to overpay to open that window completely. Because eventually the salary structure of your team is going to close that window on you whether you like it or not. You can't afford to be wasting seasons. I was caught up in the euphoria of 2010 as much as anyone but I recall a lot of discussion immediately after the season that this team still wasn't on the same level as top-tier clubs. The Reds had feasted on bottom feeders. This team did nothing to close that gap over the winter. Will they this off-season? Probably not.
What good does it do to have talent at AAA if it is mostly blocked by people on the big club? Seems like a waste to me.
How many open positions will there be in 2012? If you think the makeup of the club will be 13 position players and 12 pitchers it will probably look something like this.
1) Votto
2) Phillips
3) Rolen
4) Cozart
5) Heisey
6) Stubbs
7) Bruce
8) Hanigan
9) Cairo
10) Janish or Renteria (One will be back more than likely.)
11) Sappelt
12) Mesoraco
1) Cueto
2) Leake
3) Arroyo
4) Willis
5) Bailey
6) Masset
7) Bray
8) Ondrusek
9) Arredondo
10) LeCure
11) Chapman
That looks like room for one position player and one pitcher. Everyone else back to AAA. Essentially the same ballclub because I don't foresee management spending any money to fill holes. And I don't foresee Walt "I never overpay" Jocketty making any big moves.
So in the spring of 2012 when Reds marketing sings, "Meet the new Reds; same as the old Reds!".
The fans will refrain, "We won't get fooled again!"
Last edited by texasdave; 08-16-2011 at 12:38 PM.
The older I get - the better I was
and yes - I hate the Cardinals (Reds fan since 1958)
I miss Raisor
yes heredia is a transmitted affliction resembling chylmidia, once afflicted with heredia, a person can not hit, field or throw unless they are in "scoring" position, in which case they acquire the malady.
Five years seems like an exaggeration. I hope they don't really think it takes 5 years of winning to get a payoff from their investment. That mindset would lead to a very conservative approach. Only huge improvements that would last for years would justify making serious expenditures. Smaller incremental things that might improve you a lot for a year or two would not make the cut.
The effect of winning on attendance is really a two year thing. This year and last year matter a lot. After that the effect starts to wear off. Of course, being in a close race, having a new stadium, being in a big city, and ticket prices matter, too.
Over the longer term, championships matter quite a bit. That is part of why St. Louis has such a large fan base; they have a large number of eras of very high level performance.
I will say this in their defense. The claim is that they didn't spend money this past off-season - not true. They spent 100 plus million to lock up Bruce and Cueto long term, reward Joey Votto, not to mention the raises the other players received because of contracts (Phillips, Arroyo, Cordero). It didn't work so well this year - but if you spent 100 plus million dollars and then are accused of not spending - I'm sure you would be a little miffed by that.
I can't tell people how to spend their money - and attendance is a critical piece to the Reds budget - we as fans need to remember that. Of course we could back to the Carl Lindner days.
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