Hot Stove Report - Chip?

[Heath]

Hey, I just got home from work - was there a Hot Stove Show tonight?

Matt? Chip?

[Matt700wlw]

Yes there was.

:D

[Joseph]

Chip usually does a report, he just has to transcribe it first.

[Chip R]

Patience, people. Rome wasn't built in a day you know.

Here is the Reds Hot Stove League show for 1-18-06. Marty hosted the show so it's not only just the Hot Stove League show report but it's the Hot Stove League show report with 85% more bitterness. ;)

Marty said that the sale should be finalized tomorrow and Castellini will have a press conference on Friday afternoon which will be on WLW.

After commercial Marty said that David Weathers suffered a torn tendon in his right index finger and will be in a splint for about 3 weeks. Marty said it shouldn't be serious and he should be ready when pitchers and catchers report. Marty said that Fidel Castro said the US is scared of Cuba and that is why they won't let Cuba play in the WBC. Marty also said that A-Rod has decided to play for the US in the WBC.

The first caller asked if DanO and Narron would still have jobs when the new ownership takes over. Marty said he really didn't know but expects some changes. The caller asked if Lou would come back and Marty said he probably will sit out a year and do TV for Fox. The caller asked if any starting pitching was coming in. Marty said they are devoting a lot of efforts to it and would love to get one.

After commercial the next caller said the new owners should get John Scherholz from ATL in to run the show instead of firing managers every few years. Marty said that he probably won't leave ATL but the new owners come from a winning organization and know how to build a successful team. Marty said he thinks Narron is a good manager (he said the same thing about Miley).

The next caller asked Marty how would he rate DanO and Narron against his favorite GM and manager and what constructive criticism could he give them. Marty declined to criticize them because he's a broadcaster not a baseball person (that's a first). He said he liked Sparky and Lou and John MacNamara and Davey Johnson and is surprised Davey doesn't have a big league job now. He mentioned Bob Howsam as the best GM.

The next caller asked about Bobby Estelella and Marty was raving about him last year. Marty said he's more of an offensive catcher and he had a good spring but he didn't even play in the big leagues last year. He said he won't ever be an every day catcher.

The next caller asked Marty's opinion about Pena and whether he will be traded. Marty believes he will be the Opening Day starter in LF unless he gets traded in a deal for a pitcher. He said they will have to live with his poor defense (So much for not being critical).

After commercial the next caller asked about Cuba playing in the WBC. Marty is in favor of it because you won't be able to have a true WBC without Cuba.

The next caller asked Marty how he'd level the playing field between the teams. Marty thinks GMs like Cashman and Theo Epstein are successful cause they have huge payrolls. He thinks smaller markets can compete like the Twins. But he thinks it's much harder.

The next caller asked about Justin Germano. Marty said that he probably isn't going to be ready to crack the rotation and he'll probably start in AA or AAA and the Reds are high on him. (A kiss of death if I ever heard one). The caller said that Reds fans should have low expectations for next season because DanO has taken a bad team and made it worse. Marty didn't disagree about the low expectations but said that when DeWitt's group took over in StL, they took a few years to get a winning team in there.

After commercial the next caller (who sounded kind of like Narron) said he was disappointed that the Reds traded Casey and what will they have to do to get another starter. Marty said they are doing everything they can to get more pitching. The caller asked about Paul Wilson and Marty said he thinks he'll be back but not at the beginning of the year.

After commercial the next caller asked what Marty's opinion was of Gullett as a pitching coach. Marty said that he was much better with veteran pitchers and reclamation projects than young pitchers. He mentioned the success he had with Pete Schourek. The caller wondered why the Reds never gave Gary Nolan a shot at being pitching coach since he won a lot of games after he lost his fastball. Marty said he's out of the game but he thinks there are some kids coming up who can throw hard.

The next caller wondered if Dunn should stay in LF and Aurilia start at 1st. Marty said the decision has been made to put Dunn at 1st and Rich probably has the inside track at 2nd base. The caller asked if they were planning on using Womack as a utility man and Marty said he and Freel will be used in utility roles and they will make every effort to give them enough playing time to keep them happy. (Lord have mercy.) The caller said he isn't ready to push the panic button and he thinks Castellini will make every effort to put a winning team out there. Marty agreed.

The next caller said that he's disappointed that Dave Concepcion is losing ground in HOF balloting and the current crop of SS are making it tougher for him. He also thinks Howsam should be in the HOF. Marty agreed both should be in and judging Davey against the current SS is a crime. He believes he's every bit as deserving of HOF honors as all the other players on that team.

Thus endeth the Reds Hot Stove League show report for 1-18-06. So let it be written. So let it be done.

[Unassisted]

Nice report, Chip.

I give Marty some credit for resisting the urge to climb aboard some of those logs that the callers started rolling. Especially the one who said "Reds fans should have low expectations for next season because DanO has taken a bad team and made it worse."

I imagine there's considerable unease about speaking ill about most things related to the new owner just yet.

[TeamBoone]

The caller asked if they were planning on using Womack as a utility man and Marty said he and Freel will be used in utility roles and they will make every effort to give them enough playing time to keep them happy.

Strange. Narron said all this will be decided by how these guys perform during ST. I guess Marty has all the answers (it's not like he prefaced his statement with "probably)... or Narron is lying.

[KronoRed]

He never had trouble slamming Bowden..I don't get it.

Thanks Chip :)

[919191]

I thought the same thing about that guy sounding like Narron.

[vaticanplum]

The next caller asked Marty how he'd level the playing field between the teams. Marty thinks GMs like Cashman and Theo Epstein are successful cause they have huge payrolls. He thinks smaller markets can compete like the Twins. But he thinks it's much harder.

Comments like this make me want to bash my head in. Yes, it's much harder. That's why you need a good GM. Dan O'Brien has been MOST unsuccessful (and that is saying something) when he's had more money to throw around. Cashman and Epstein are not monkeys with checkbooks.

I can accept my team going through a bad spell as a natural course of events or as a result of one or two bad decisions. I can adapt to the fact that a mid-market franchise has a harder time succeeding than a team that has bottomless pockets. What I cannot accept is the current prevailing mentality of this team's management (and some of its supporters) that laziness, inertia, a lack of creativity and passion, an inability to look towards the future, and basically any and every bad decision can be chalked up to the fact that the Reds don't have the money the Yankees or the Red Sox do.

Every time there seems to be a light, a door get slammed. We traded Casey. A difficult decision, no doubt, but one that seemed to have an eye toward the payroll and the future. Now here we are, a month before pitchers and catchers report, and our outfield is full, our infield is overcrowded, and there's still nobody on the mound or waiting in the wings to take to it. And I remain in perpetual fear that the one player that's going to get the boot is our franchise player.

I am so, so tired of the excuses. Everything can't be chalked up to money. In fact, when one looks directly at the Reds' worst mistakes over the last few years, very little can. Somebody needs to start taking responsibility here.

[Heath]

Chip - fantastic job as usual - I'm sorry I jumped the gun - but since I was at work - I didn't know if there was some UC/XU special on or what.

[RFS62]

Hey Chipper..... If I'm going to keep paying big bucks for these reports, you need to make it a little more interesting. Make something up if you have to, dammit!!!

[Caveat Emperor]

Hey Chipper..... If I'm going to keep paying big bucks for these reports, you need to make it a little more interesting. Make something up if you have to, dammit!!!

Next week...On Reds Hot Stove League....

The clock is ticking, and Marty has less than 19 hours to stop the terrorist from releasing the bio-weapon into the drinking water at Great American Ballpark. The Vice President is being held hostage in the owners box and the President is in a coma in Washington DC. Will Marty be able to save the United States from certain doom?

18:59:59 - 18:59:58 - 18:59:57...

[RFS62]

Next week...On Reds Hot Stove League....

The clock is ticking, and Marty has less than 19 hours to stop the terrorist from releasing the bio-weapon into the drinking water at Great American Ballpark. The Vice President is being held hostage in the owners box and the President is in a coma in Washington DC. Will Marty be able to save the United States from certain doom?

18:59:59 - 18:59:58 - 18:59:57...



Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about.

:beerme:

[Chip R]

Next week...On Reds Hot Stove League....

Will Marty be able to save the United States from certain doom?



Without messing up his hair.

[Matt700wlw]

Next week...On Reds Hot Stove League....

The clock is ticking, and Marty has less than 19 hours to stop the terrorist from releasing the bio-weapon into the drinking water at Great American Ballpark. The Vice President is being held hostage in the owners box and the President is in a coma in Washington DC. Will Marty be able to save the United States from certain doom?

18:59:59 - 18:59:58 - 18:59:57...

Insert sound effects...

[Redsland]

Marty: Which way do the schemetics say I should turn, Joe?

Joe: Right. No left. Uh, wait... I'll be alright.

:)

[gm]

Marty: Which way do the schemetics say I should turn, Joe?

Joe: Right. No left. Uh, wait... I'll be alright.

:)

Joe: Uhh...let me ask George Grande...D'oh!

[Heath]

Marty: Which way do the schemetics say I should turn, Joe?

Joe: Right. No left. Uh, wait... I'll be alright.

:)

Joe: uh, Marty, I've got the new guy's name here - the bomb expert

Marty: Who is it?

Joe: uh, m, uh, it reads, um, Bernerd Gilkey... :D