Reds > Bengals

With opening day yesterday, I thought it was time to discuss two recent decisions by the Reds that caught my eye, not because they were smart baseball (which they were), but because they were exactly the kinds of common sense decisions that you would never see from the Bengals.

The first concerns Manifesto Demand #1 (see sidebar). A letter signed by Bob Castelinni was sent to every season ticket holder in March. You can read it, with all its glorious grammatical errors, in its entirety here. In it, he recognizes that even though there have been improvements, he understands that Reds fans demand better and the entire Reds organization pledges to do what they can to improve the performance on the field. 

Money quote:

    “…we know your expectations are higher and we are making every effort to achieve greater results as well….You have already pledged to be a part of Reds baseball in 2008, and we promise to make this season at Great American BallPark a fantastic year both on and off the field.”

This is a follow up to an even stronger statement by the Reds ownership after purchasing the team after the 2005 season, which you can read here.

Can you imagine Mikey EVER sending something like that to season ticket holders? To state that he understands that the fans want a winning team and that the Bengals organization will work to improve the teams results? Never. He would send a $5 coupon for the Bengals Pro Shop, redeemable only on purchases of $250 or over.

The letter might seem trivial, but it shows their differing managing philosophy. Castellini is showing his players, fans and staff that he will put his name and reputation (and money) on the line to get a winning team. That kind of mindset trickles down the chain of command. 

Castelinni has done his part to put a winning team on the field. He fired inept GM Dan O’Brien and brought in Wayne Krivsky, a respected front office guy from MN. And apart from the Kearns/Lopez debacle, he has made some great moves (such as the Arroyo and Phillips trades, signing David Ross and Cordero, and what looks to be a great move in trading Hamilton for Volquez). Brown, on the other hand, doesn’t even have a GM – and we all know how that has turned out.

This leads to the 2^nd move, Manifesto decision #4 – the Reds demoting Mike Stanton to the minors, essentially releasing him and paying him $3.5 million not to play for the Reds.  Stanton was dreadful last season, and the Reds put their tail between their legs, acknowledged they made a mistake signing him to a deal in 2006 and took the financial hit. Now there is room on the roster for other left-handed relievers (Jeremy Affedelt, Kent Merker).

The Bengals, on the other hand, are loyal to a fault. They hang onto players who do not fit the system, or do not live up to their potential, or who are damaging to the team’s morale and work ethic to the detriment of the team as a whole. As long as they are profiting, fans are buying tickets and merchandise, working to put together the best team is a secondary concern.

You will see this played out this year with Rudi and Chad (who would be better elsewhere). At least they didn’t keep around Madeiu and Bustin Smith – but we can’t be celebrating when the Bengals make two smart decisions (Madieu and Smith) but have their heads in the sand on others (Rudi and Chad).

Let’s hope that Mikey starts taking management advice from Castellini. At the very least, maybe PBS can add a Penn Station like in GABP - $8.75 for a small cheesesteak and fries. The revolution has to start somewhere.

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