OnBaseMachine
05-10-2006, 07:28 AM
Q&A with Reds GM Wayne Krivsky
BY JESSICA BROWN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Wayne Krivsky addressed several questions about the team during an appearance Tuesday at a West Chester Chamber Alliance event.
Question: Is Ken Griffey Jr. going to be questionable again this year?
Answer: He's questionable (for Tuesday night). To be serious, the injury is not a serious one. He had another MRI last week where there was still some fluid on his tendon (in his right knee). I'm not a medical expert by any means, but it does bother him when he rounds bases. I told him, 'Well, if you hit it over the fence, you can go pretty slow and it shouldn't bother your tendon." But he tells me he's really close, but he still feels it a little bit in the back of his knee. I've been wrong predicting a lot of things, and I don't want to mislead anyone, but there's nothing out there that would suggest to us it's not a day-by-day type of thing.
Q: When Griffey comes back, do you want him in center field? And if he goes to center, what are you going to do with Ryan Freel?
A: All I know is we're a better team with Ken Griffey Jr. on it. That's (Reds manager) Jerry Narron's job to figure that one out. That's a nice problem when you have too many good players. It'll be a juggling act for him. I don't know when Griffey comes back that he can play every day. I think the wise thing might be to sit him down. But I know he'll argue that he's fine and ready to go. But I think we need to use some common sense. He's not 21 anymore.
Q: How would you rate the Reds' minor-league system currently?
A: The Reds' minor-league system has been rated very low by some of these publications and so-called baseball experts. I haven't seen our system, so I'm going to cop out on that one. But I know there's room for improvement. ... We might be in the bottom 10 somewhere, but hey, we're going to get better. The Dodgers were ranked No. 28 a couple years ago, and two years later they're ranked second. To make that kind of improvement in that short a time gives you some idea it's very subjective.
Q: When is Joe Nuxhall's next start in the radio booth?
A: I don't have a clever answer on that one, but what a great guy. He loves to talk baseball. He's doing some Dayton Dragons games on their local TV. I see him very often down at the ballpark. I enjoy picking his brain. His favorite, I will tell you this - he wishes (minor-league pitcher) Homer Bailey was starting tomorrow night. He saw Bailey in spring training and fell in love with him, and this guy's 19 years old. Here's where patience comes in on a 19-year-old kid who has only thrown 100 innings in Dayton in his life and little-A ball. We're not here to rush those kind of guys to the major leagues.
Q: Whose idea was it to trade first baseman Sean Casey?
A: The guy before me (Dan O'Brien). I'll tell you I was very disappointed not to work with Sean Casey. ... I would have approached him about re-negotiating his contract to see if we could have worked something out there. But I know he's a big favorite here. He'll be a free agent at the end of the year, too. So you never know. But he's got a serious back injury that he has to recover from.
Q: What are the top three reasons why a player might come to Cincinnati?
A: Ownership, tradition, great way of life for your family. How's that? It's ... Midwestern values. And we're going to win.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060510/SPT04/605100390/1071
BY JESSICA BROWN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Wayne Krivsky addressed several questions about the team during an appearance Tuesday at a West Chester Chamber Alliance event.
Question: Is Ken Griffey Jr. going to be questionable again this year?
Answer: He's questionable (for Tuesday night). To be serious, the injury is not a serious one. He had another MRI last week where there was still some fluid on his tendon (in his right knee). I'm not a medical expert by any means, but it does bother him when he rounds bases. I told him, 'Well, if you hit it over the fence, you can go pretty slow and it shouldn't bother your tendon." But he tells me he's really close, but he still feels it a little bit in the back of his knee. I've been wrong predicting a lot of things, and I don't want to mislead anyone, but there's nothing out there that would suggest to us it's not a day-by-day type of thing.
Q: When Griffey comes back, do you want him in center field? And if he goes to center, what are you going to do with Ryan Freel?
A: All I know is we're a better team with Ken Griffey Jr. on it. That's (Reds manager) Jerry Narron's job to figure that one out. That's a nice problem when you have too many good players. It'll be a juggling act for him. I don't know when Griffey comes back that he can play every day. I think the wise thing might be to sit him down. But I know he'll argue that he's fine and ready to go. But I think we need to use some common sense. He's not 21 anymore.
Q: How would you rate the Reds' minor-league system currently?
A: The Reds' minor-league system has been rated very low by some of these publications and so-called baseball experts. I haven't seen our system, so I'm going to cop out on that one. But I know there's room for improvement. ... We might be in the bottom 10 somewhere, but hey, we're going to get better. The Dodgers were ranked No. 28 a couple years ago, and two years later they're ranked second. To make that kind of improvement in that short a time gives you some idea it's very subjective.
Q: When is Joe Nuxhall's next start in the radio booth?
A: I don't have a clever answer on that one, but what a great guy. He loves to talk baseball. He's doing some Dayton Dragons games on their local TV. I see him very often down at the ballpark. I enjoy picking his brain. His favorite, I will tell you this - he wishes (minor-league pitcher) Homer Bailey was starting tomorrow night. He saw Bailey in spring training and fell in love with him, and this guy's 19 years old. Here's where patience comes in on a 19-year-old kid who has only thrown 100 innings in Dayton in his life and little-A ball. We're not here to rush those kind of guys to the major leagues.
Q: Whose idea was it to trade first baseman Sean Casey?
A: The guy before me (Dan O'Brien). I'll tell you I was very disappointed not to work with Sean Casey. ... I would have approached him about re-negotiating his contract to see if we could have worked something out there. But I know he's a big favorite here. He'll be a free agent at the end of the year, too. So you never know. But he's got a serious back injury that he has to recover from.
Q: What are the top three reasons why a player might come to Cincinnati?
A: Ownership, tradition, great way of life for your family. How's that? It's ... Midwestern values. And we're going to win.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060510/SPT04/605100390/1071