Is Bronson Arroyo the new face of the franchise?

[savafan]

You know, it's been years since I've seen Reds' players featured prominently in local commercials, but it seems as though every time I turn the TV on anymore, I see a commercial with Arroyo in it. I can't recall ever having seen Griffey, Dunn, or even back to the days of Davis, Sabo, Dibble, etc. doing commercials. Is Arroyo the face of the franchise? Is he the most marketable commodity that the Reds have to the public?

[dougdirt]

I really hope not, becuase he sure talks about wanting to go to Boston an awful lot.... I want him on the team surely, but I cant stand his mancrush on Boston.

[Ron Madden]

Great question Savafan.

Is Arroyo the face of the franchise? I have to say no.

The Reds stopped promoting players years ago. The Big Red Machine sold it's self, winning will always sell.

Since the late 1970's some pretty good players have come and gone.

Like it or not.. right or wrong "The Voice Of The Reds" long ago became "The Face Of The Reds".

[Jpup]

Check out the season ticket flyer, it includes a picture of Brandon Phillips on the front and Arroyo and Aaron Harang on the inside. I would say that those are 3 of the pieces that Krivsky is planning on keeping for several years.

It's time to pony up some long term deals to Harang and Arroyo if that is the case.

[savafan]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

I really hope not, becuase he sure talks about wanting to go to Boston an awful lot.... I want him on the team surely, but I cant stand his mancrush on Boston.

I don't remember what paper's website I saw it on, but there was an interview with Arroyo today concerning his mini-tour of New England, and in it he said that he now feels that the Boston fans' desire to have him return will now start to die down a little. In this particular interview (from a New England paper) he made no mention about wanting to return to Boston. It was rather refreshing.

[Always Red]

I'd have to say yes, he is.

I don't think the team is promoting him at all, but the local media has latched on to him. What's not to like? He has personality, charisma and had a heck of a year last year.

I also have problems with his mancrush on Boston (I've come to terms with it that mostly it's my jealousy, as 30 years ago players would rather play for the Reds than the Sox), but look at it this way: would you rather play on the big national stage, or in Cincinnati, which is definitely off Broadway? Yeah, I'd rather play for the Reds, too, but we're in a distinct minority.

[RFS62]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that every reference Bronson made to Boston came when he was questioned by New England media types. Unless I'm mistaken, it was always in response to a question, not him going on a rant about leaving Cincy.

Personally, I think it's refreshing that he speaks his mind. And I can't believe anyone would be surprised that he misses Boston, with all the attention and excitement he had there.

I don't blame him a bit.

[Johnny Footstool]

Maybe he's just the most recognizable Red who's willing to do local commercials. A little supplemental income never hurt.

[RANDY IN INDY]

Arroyo is not a bad choice right now. Had a good season. Personable and multi-talented rock star type. Not your typical baseball player.

[savafan]

Here it is, from the Concord Monitor out of New Hampshire:

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/p...TORY/701110301

After you were traded - despite signing with the Red Sox for less money than you might have gotten elsewhere - it seemed like everyone here in Red Sox Nation was rooting for you to succeed. Were you aware from afar of the way Boston fans felt?

Yeah, I was - my saxophone player is from Boston, and I've still got a few friends around there that would call me all the time and say they're talking about you on EEI again, or they showed your home runs on the Jumbotron in the stadium, and it's a good feeling knowing that you're loved in a city, but I think as the year went on it probably died down some. But for a while there - you know, that's how Red Sox fans are, they're on top of everything and they love their players that were there in the past, and if you're a new player coming in they want you to get off to a good start quick, or they're probably going to have a bad opinion of you.

[vaticanplum]

He gained a bit of internet notoriety for that "Would you believe a double?" commercial too, which probably helped him.

I agree that he's a fine face for the franchise. He may have loved playing in Boston, but this is a guy who's going to have a fairly good tenure anywhere he chooses to go in the media/personal sense, I would guess.

[paulrichjr]

I have posted this before but I guess this is a good place to do it again...During RedsFest I got to speak to Arroyo and said to him, "Why don't you go ahead and sale that house in Boston and get one in Cincy?" He said, "In 2 years I probably will." I don't know why he said that he would wait 2 years unless he wanted to see what happened then but that is what he said.

I will say this about the guy...I always thought of him as being something of a renegade and slightly on the nut side but during RedsFest he became one of my favorite Reds players. He was very articulate and extremely friendly. If he stayed here 7 or 8 years, I think he would be one of the all time favorite Reds players.

(On another note: Did anyone hear him talking about his breakfast? I don't know why I thought it was funny but he talked about going to the Waffle House every morning in Covington and they already had his breakfast waiting on him. I was surprised that he said that because I just could imagine a bunch of teenage women driving around Covington at 6:00 in the morning looking at Waffle Houses....)

[corkedbat]

I hate Hippies!

[Marc D]

The face of the organization IMO:

[Spitball]

From the moment Gene Conley and Pumpsie Green decided to jump the team bus after a loss to the Yankees and fly to Israel, the Red Sox Nation has always embraced those players with eccentricies. Even Dick Stuart enjoyed that first season of adoration before his unloveable self was exposed through the papers. Bill Lee became a legend, not for his pitching but for his eccentric quotes ("Drug testing? Sure, I've tested them all.") I remember when Don Zimmer ran him out of town in a trade for utility infielder Stan Papi and radio station WBCN featured a song in its rotation entitled "Spaceman for Papi, Aint That Crappy."

The most popular players have had to have more than just talent to develop a following in Boston. Outside of a few years after 1967, Yastremzski was not totally loved because he was too normal. Luis Tiant would win twenty games, but it was the smoking cigars in the post-game shower that won the fans' love for him. Peter Gammons coins the phrase, "It's just Manny being Manny," and suddenly it is alright to accept the guy's drama because of those "loveable" eccentricies.

I believe Arroyo knows the trade robbed him of a chance to go down in the local unconditional love-folklore that the fans in New England feel for those athletes who stand apart from the normal. Pumpsie, Connelly, Piersall, the Hawk, the Spaceman...Cincinnati just doesn't have that tradition.