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View Full Version : XM is trying to get Kullman on during the 11pm hour tonight



cincinnati chili
01-23-2006, 10:59 PM
for those that have XM - channel 175

cincinnati chili
01-23-2006, 11:05 PM
He's on right now.

westofyou
01-23-2006, 11:07 PM
All baseball advisors are coming to town, big "no-holds" barred meetings.

No idea will be looked down upon, a diffrent path must be taken to be successful.

Redsland
01-23-2006, 11:22 PM
No idea will be looked down upon...
Both internal and external?

;)

Yachtzee
01-23-2006, 11:23 PM
I wish I would have seen this sooner.

BCubb2003
01-24-2006, 12:05 AM
No idea will be looked down upon, a diffrent path must be taken to be successful.

"Hey, let's call RedsZone!"

cincinnati chili
01-24-2006, 12:15 AM
I wish I would have seen this sooner.
My guess is they'll replay it.

Overall:

1. I don't think he made any big goofs, and overall he came off pretty good.
2. The interviewer, Holden Kushner, wasn't bad.
3. Kullman said he is more agressive with bringing up prospects than DanO. In response to a question about Homer Bailey, Kullman suggested that he'll be called up relatively soon, and that wouldn't have been the case under DanO. (That actually worries me... even if Homer ISN'T a fraud, there's a reason why guys like Jeremy Bonderman are going to be prematurely expensive).
4. When asked if there's one thing to tell Reds fans, he said "Get your tickets NOW, because (paraphrasing) the good seats won't be available when the team gets turned around."
5. He said that RCast told him that he would be considered for the job, but Kullman said that even if he's not kept on as GM he really wants to stay in the organization.
6. When asked about the Casey/Williams trade, he didn't say one single solitary positive word about David Williams (M2 would be proud ;) ). He all but said, "this is a salary dump."
7. He said that a way to improve the team in the short-term would be to unload a surplus for a need (duh)... read: outfielder on the trade block.

If I remember anything else, I'll poop it up here.

Thus endeth the XM radio report... blah blah.

MWM
01-24-2006, 12:20 AM
My goodness. Homer wasn't even that good in A ball last year. Let's at least let the guy have one strong season in the minors before we start talking about calling him up.

westofyou
01-24-2006, 12:33 AM
Kullman suggested that he'll be called up relatively soon, and that wouldn't have been the case under DanO.

No, I heard it like this.... when asked about how soon for Bailey he suggested that he could "advance" faster than expected now that he was not under a more methodical GM and that in turn could mean an earlier arrival in MLB, but that was based on the theory Anything can happen.

MartyFan
01-24-2006, 12:33 AM
My impression from what I have read here and what I heard when Kullman was on WLW this afternoon was that he is wanting to be a bit "out in the public" not so "cloak and dagger"...he sounded really loose on WLW not careless, just loose like he was a "Man on a mission"...I wish I could figure a way to include more " and " in this post....anyway, in his interview on WLW he illuded to signing Dunn and Lopez to multi-year deals as a priority and also that this team was going to be hyperfocued (my word not his) on the fan and making this team the best that it can be and that means working outside of the box and cracking a few eggs.

HBP
01-24-2006, 12:47 AM
....anyway, in his interview on WLW he illuded to signing Dunn and Lopez to multi-year deals as a priority and also that this team was going to be hyperfocued (my word not his) on the fan and making this team the best that it can be and that means working outside of the box and cracking a few eggs.

Best news I've seen in awhile. Wow, I might be overeacting, but I'm actually excited to be a Reds fan again.

KronoRed
01-24-2006, 01:34 AM
6. When asked about the Casey/Williams trade, he didn't say one single solitary positive word about David Williams (M2 would be proud ;) ). He all but said, "this is a salary dump."
Finally some honesty from the FO :D

Thanks for the run down Chili! :)

RedsManRick
01-24-2006, 01:38 AM
I loved the whole trading from an area of need to address a weakness comment. That one wasn't 100% transparent. Good to know that at least they expect more than Jake Westbrook back in return...

SirFelixCat
01-24-2006, 05:04 AM
My God am I excited to be a Reds fan again. TY chili for the write up and the comments from the others. Man, this is great great news.

M2
01-24-2006, 09:15 AM
Thanks for the recap chili.

Glad to hear that Kullman didn't try to dress up Dave Williams. His statements on Bailey are worrisome, but Kullman seems to be a performance guy, so if Homer doesn't dominate down in the minors then Kullman won't have much of an itch to scratch.

lollipopcurve
01-24-2006, 09:22 AM
No way I'd let Kullman deal an OF for pitching before the new GM is in place. If he's the GM-to-be, fine. But if he's not, you don't want your new GM to inherit a "bold move" he himself didn't make.

Hoosier Red
01-24-2006, 09:27 AM
Actually I think the Bailey talk is a great sign. It was one of Bowdens' strengths until he overplayed it. Make every prospect sound like he's on the verge of bringing to the show.
The trick is to actually not bring them up(see Reith, Brian) but keep them in the minors and make them sound like the next coming of Nolan Ryan.

M2
01-24-2006, 09:30 AM
No way I'd let Kullman deal an OF for pitching before the new GM is in place. If he's the GM-to-be, fine. But if he's not, you don't want your new GM to inherit a "bold move" he himself didn't make.

I would. The best pitcher on the Reds' staff came by way of Kullman trading an OF for him.

It's already clear that he's not interested in detritus like Jake Westbrook. So I'd absolutely let a guy who's shown some pitching acumen deal for a pitcher.

Reds Fanatic
01-24-2006, 09:53 AM
My goodness. Homer wasn't even that good in A ball last year. Let's at least let the guy have one strong season in the minors before we start talking about calling him up. Homer is in no way ready for the majors. I saw him pitch several times last year for the Dragons. I think he has the potential to develop into a really good major league starter but he is not there yet. He was very inconsistent last year. He would have one start where he looked great and the next start he would get hit so hard it was like batting practice. I think he is about 2 years away from being ready. Rushing him up here would be a big mistake.

lollipopcurve
01-24-2006, 09:56 AM
I would. The best pitcher on the Reds' staff came by way of Kullman trading an OF for him.

It's already clear that he's not interested in detritus like Jake Westbrook. So I'd absolutely let a guy who's shown some pitching acumen deal for a pitcher.

I understand that Kullman was involved in the Harang and Claussen deals. How involved, I don't know. Still, if Kullman as interim GM comes to me with a potential trade it's likely that trade will be makeable by whoever becomes the GM a week or two later. In the meantime, this is great fodder for evaluation not only of him but of other candidates -- ask them all about the trade. Is it the kind of OF-for-pitching trade the Reds need? I'd think this would provide BC with some nice comparative information about his candidates and about his team's choices in acquiring pitching in the trade market. In addition, I know that whoever becomes the GM will appreciate that he gets to make the call, rather than someone he may end up supervising.

TeamBoone
01-24-2006, 11:32 AM
One thing we need to consider when assessing Kullman's apparent gift of making decent trades... last time he was interim GM, he shared the title with Maddox.

Does anyone know which one played the greater role in evaluating the talent and negotiating the trades? Are we assuming it was Kullman? I don't know, but feel confident that one or more of you do. (where is Maddox now anyway?)

I like that things are being shared with the fans more openly. If I remember correctly, that's one of the things Castellini promised in his press conference... that the fans wouldn't be left in the dark regarding what they are doing (paraphrasing; I can't remember his exact words). Not that that will (or should) translate into every minute detail of the club's workings, but certainly a welcome change.

westofyou
01-24-2006, 11:35 AM
Does anyone know which one played the greater role in evaluating the talent and negotiating the trades? Are we assuming it was all Kullman? I don't know, but feel confident that one or more of you do. (where is Maddox now anyway?)

Maddox is still with the club, they spilt those trades IIRC, Lester was the Claussen and Harang was Kullman's.

Lester is more on the scouting side of things, Kullman has more office experience.

Boss-Hog
01-24-2006, 11:37 AM
Maddox is still with the club, they spilt those trades IIRC, Lester was the Claussen and Harang was Kullman's.

Lester is more on the scouting side of things, Kullman has more office experience.
I believe you mean Leland? ;)

westofyou
01-24-2006, 11:40 AM
I believe you mean Leland? ;)Cha...

http://www.library.gatech.edu/about_us/news/banned/images/lester3.jpg

westofyou
01-24-2006, 11:41 AM
FYI.

If you have the Reds Media guide there is a Bio for each GM Assistant in the front.

Falls City Beer
01-24-2006, 11:56 AM
As the charter member of the Brad Kullman fan club, I just want to say for the thousandth time: I do not understand the hatred for Brad Kullman. No one's offered up anything of substance about the man's acumen besides bleary, half-formed arguments about his interview comportment and "leadership skills," whatever those are.

To me, Kullman's kooky enough to make a difference. That's exactly what this team needs: curiosity. The Reds suffer from an extreme failure of imagination.

Doc. Scott
01-24-2006, 12:12 PM
Just because the Casey trade was a salary dump doesn't mean it was the wrong thing to do. It's just that if Casey had been dealt after his great 2004 season the Reds might have gotten someone or someones of considerably higher value in addition to saving even more money. But apparently DanO and Co., (IQ) Ltd. was afraid of the fan reaction.

As for Kullman, I really think it goes back to the Furman Fire Sale Interview in July 2003. Brad came off very badly in that piece- not stupid, just spastic and defensive- and it'd be great if someone could dig up an audio clip and/or transcript as evidence.

The only other thing I can possibly think of is Kullman's "demotion" to director of baseball operations when DanO came in and had to bring his cronies Taylor and Reynolds with him. At the time it appeared as though Kullman was being punished and it seemed as if he'd be better off somewhere else, but he stuck around and weathered the storm, if there was one.

Boss-Hog
01-24-2006, 12:16 PM
As the charter member of the Brad Kullman fan club, I just want to say for the thousandth time: I do not understand the hatred for Brad Kullman. No one's offered up anything of substance about the man's acumen besides bleary, half-formed arguments about his interview comportment and "leadership skills," whatever those are.

To me, Kullman's kooky enough to make a difference. That's exactly what this team needs: curiosity. The Reds suffer from an extreme failure of imagination.
I agree with you...if we don't get DePo, (and I don't see that happening) Kullman would be my choice. The only thing that raises any red flags with me is his comment on XM regarding Homer Bailey.

M2
01-24-2006, 12:23 PM
Just because the Casey trade was a salary dump doesn't mean it was the wrong thing to do.

For Dave Williams it was.

Falls City Beer
01-24-2006, 01:08 PM
I agree with you...if we don't get DePo, (and I don't see that happening) Kullman would be my choice. The only thing that raises any red flags with me is his comment on XM regarding Homer Bailey.

Frankly, and I know this might seem counterintuitive to everyone here, but I agree with Kullman's take on promoting Bailey--I'm a big believer in rapid promotions for guys who have nil chance of making it to the bigs healthy (i.e. 18 year old draft choices) unless said draft choices are clearly, over the top talents--which Bailey clearly isn't. Now if Kullman had said he likes to rapid-promote across the board, then I'd have a problem. But since the odds of Bailey ever seeing a MLB mound as a starter are probably 1 in 200 and the odds growing longer every year he stays in the minors, see what you can squeeze out of his ability to throw reasonably hard. Who knows, you might build a bullpen that way.

Caveat Emperor
01-24-2006, 01:45 PM
Frankly, and I know this might seem counterintuitive to everyone here, but I agree with Kullman's take on promoting Bailey--I'm a big believer in rapid promotions for guys who have nil chance of making it to the bigs healthy (i.e. 18 year old draft choices) unless said draft choices are clearly, over the top talents--which Bailey clearly isn't. Now if Kullman had said he likes to rapid-promote across the board, then I'd have a problem. But since the odds of Bailey ever seeing a MLB mound as a starter are probably 1 in 200 and the odds growing longer every year he stays in the minors, see what you can squeeze out of his ability to throw reasonably hard. Who knows, you might build a bullpen that way.

This line of thinking (and the apparent necessity of this line of thinking) is born out of the fact that the Reds farm system is so totally barren.

The goal is not to have Homer Bailey on a pedestal and need to get him to the majors before he injures himself -- the goal is to have enough talented prospects proceeding through the system such that an injury to Homer Bailey is sustainable because there are other prospects to pick up the torch and start running.

It seems important to get SOMETHING out of Homer Bailey because he's the best of what's around. If the Reds simply got better prospects and more prospects, there wouldn't need to be such a focus on him or a focus on the few prospects in general.

Chip R
01-24-2006, 01:49 PM
Homer is in no way ready for the majors. I saw him pitch several times last year for the Dragons. I think he has the potential to develop into a really good major league starter but he is not there yet. He was very inconsistent last year. He would have one start where he looked great and the next start he would get hit so hard it was like batting practice.

That's only because Lindner and Allen have been holding him back. ;)

westofyou
01-24-2006, 01:57 PM
That's only because Lindner and Allen have been holding him back. ;)
The kidney stones of the Reds organization eh?

MWM
01-24-2006, 02:33 PM
Kullman wouldn't be my first choice, or even my second. I'm lukewarm on him because I don't know that much about him. The fact that he's been in the Reds organization for so long is a strike against him in my mind. I'd rather have someone from outside. And the fact that he's more open minded about statistical evaluation is a good thing, but not enough for me to be excited about him as GM. Understanding it and knowing how to implement the system are two different skills. But I also think for some of his opponents it's nothing more than Kullan=sabermetric=bad.

BCubb2003
01-24-2006, 02:39 PM
My impression was that Kullman was more of a psychological profile kind of guy rather than a true SABR guy. Is that incorrect?

RFS62
01-24-2006, 03:21 PM
The kidney stones of the Reds organization eh?


You've been watching Deadwood reruns haven't you?

cincinnati chili
01-24-2006, 10:31 PM
Kullman wouldn't be my first choice, or even my second. I'm lukewarm on him because I don't know that much about him. The fact that he's been in the Reds organization for so long is a strike against him in my mind.

I can see that argument, but with Kullman, you really have to consider him a eunuch in the old Reds' organization. It's sort of like judging "advanced scouting" of the Red Sox during the Grady Little years. In truth, the advanced scouting in 2003 was just as good as the advanced scouting in '04. The difference: Terry Francona had the will and the aptitude to interpret those reports and Grady Little did not.

cincinnati chili
01-24-2006, 10:32 PM
To me, Kullman's kooky enough to make a difference. That's exactly what this team needs: curiosity. The Reds suffer from an extreme failure of imagination.

I agree, sort of. I'm just in favor of making sure that Kullman's not on completely the other side of the spectrum.

See Dan O'Dowd in Colorado. He's curious. He's kooky. He's also dangerous.

cincinnati chili
01-24-2006, 10:41 PM
Thanks for the recap chili.

Glad to hear that Kullman didn't try to dress up Dave Williams. His statements on Bailey are worrisome, but Kullman seems to be a performance guy, so if Homer doesn't dominate down in the minors then Kullman won't have much of an itch to scratch.

Westofyou might be right that I overstated the Homer Bailey comments. I'd have to hear it again. He definitely gave ME the impression that if Homer had a good start in Double A, he'd be called up (this year). Personally, I wouldn't allow that to happen under any circumstances. 2008 should be the target.

I have mixed feelings about him not giving ANY, and I mean ZERO props to Dave Williams, when asked about the Casey/Williams trade. First of all (not to rehash that trade thread), I do think Dave Williams has upside. But even if Kullman doesn't, he has to realize that part of his job as GM is to maximize the trade value of his players. That doesn't mean going on XM radio and saying Dave Williams is Barry Zito. But he has to effectively advocate the most plausibly positive attributes of his commodities.

But this is nitpicking. He came off pretty well.

Falls City Beer
01-24-2006, 10:44 PM
I agree, sort of. I'm just in favor of making sure that Kullman's not on completely the other side of the spectrum.

See Dan O'Dowd in Colorado. He's curious. He's kooky. He's also dangerous.

Well, sure, curiosity can lead you to dead ends and false conclusions, but you got to get out of the driveway if you want to save the world.

Falls City Beer
01-24-2006, 10:57 PM
This line of thinking (and the apparent necessity of this line of thinking) is born out of the fact that the Reds farm system is so totally barren.

The goal is not to have Homer Bailey on a pedestal and need to get him to the majors before he injures himself -- the goal is to have enough talented prospects proceeding through the system such that an injury to Homer Bailey is sustainable because there are other prospects to pick up the torch and start running.

It seems important to get SOMETHING out of Homer Bailey because he's the best of what's around. If the Reds simply got better prospects and more prospects, there wouldn't need to be such a focus on him or a focus on the few prospects in general.

Really, it is less a "line of thinking" than it is a realpolitik.

In the world of smart baseball GMing you don't dump a ton of cash on a prospect like Bailey in the first round--in the first place. But once they're there, I'm for shipping up C grade prospects and seeing what they do when they hit the wall. It's better than peeing away millions upon millions to people who throw games in front of the Scranton Wilkes-Barre faithful (if they're lucky).

I don't really have a problem with them leaving Bailey in the minors, I just wouldn't hold my breath that you'll ever get to see the guy throw a single MLB pitch. The chances, even on a good day, are probably somewhere between 3% and 5% he'll be a league average reliever in the majors, and from there the chances go down precipitously.

There is an argument, though, that says keeping him in the minors helps his trade value--and it's a fair argument, but pretty soon Bailey could be worthless (through another year of ineffectiveness or injury or whatever) no matter what. It's something I'd gamble on, though.