Interim manager, Piniella?

[JohnU]

 

[Hit-n-Run]

I think Lou is in his early 70's and hasn't managed since leaving the Cubs 5-6 years ago. After spending most of his life in baseball I'm sure it's hard to step away cold turkey, but I'd be surprised if he was interested in more than consulting with the team in the rebuilding mode. I see Jim Riggleman as the interim in waiting.

Bryan Price was pitching coach when Lou was managing in Seattle.. so I'd see where they could have a mentoring type relationship. Bryan Price needs all the help he can get.

 

[JohnU]

I never thought seriously about Piniella being a manager again. I find this process amusing that somehow an old guy keeps getting work.
I never forget watching old Don Zimmer in the dugout, barely breathing but he had been on a ball field for 98 years and was, by god, never going to leave it. He might be buried under one.
Piniella could manage, I suppose, if Price got fired on Sept. 23.
If the Reds don't eventually give DeShields the job, it will say wonders about how inept these people are.

 

[chico ruiz]

agreed john, and if i may expound a bit. the reds need piniella like they need a shotgun blast to the face. i don't know what words of wisdom lou can impart, or what he will actually do. i know he doesn't have patience for developing younger players. i know the best move the rays ever made was replacing him with joe maddon. he whined endlessly about the devil rays low payroll and not acquiring veteran players in 2005. how that could have been a surprise to him, i have no idea.


lou piniella has forgotten more about baseball than i'll ever know. he was also a winner who played & managed hard. however, he was at his very best when he was surrounded by veteran talent, but
-like it or not, for better or worse- times have changed. that includes the landscape of professional baseball. adapt or die.

 

[Redsfan1507]

I think it's just easy, cheap PR...about "we're working on the culture", or some similar smoke and mirrors. I think Lou's too old to manage or matter much...Riggleman ? How old is he ? Bryan Price....may be the right guy after all....if losing is inevitable. Probably not highly paid as managers go, and maybe his feigned esoterics might appear that he's teaching someone something. I don't believe John McGraw or Walt Alston could turn the '16 roster into contenders, although I would be appreciative if they found a younger version in their minor league stable (is DeShields that guy ? I thought maybe Bell was a few years ago, but he bailed for a perceived better opportunity) or better yet, a young Charlie Lau as a minor league hitting instructor...because I believe the Reds have to create a new and different farm machine that "produces" Reds MLB players, before they can be expected to put a reliable product on the GABP field.

I liked Lou because he knew the game, demanded max effort, and was a bad loser. On the other hand, The players have to believe...which requires proof by winning...and although Maddon's results were better in TB than Lou's, I would argue that making better talent believe is one Hell of a lot easier than with worse talent. I think Maddon had better talent than Lou had. Lou also (like Ozzie Guillen, and a few short lived managerial others) had a trait not long suffered by owners...he sometimes made public statements that the ownership and/or GM wasn't trying to win. That's pretty much the replacement requiem... Might be something that Bryan Price accidentally spews in a tirade to be spun soon.

If the Reds wanted a fundamentals and hardcore work master type managerial enema, they wouldn't have to hire Lou. They could have hired Ron Oester, years ago. I think the Reds are lost right now...and you know what ? That may be a good thing, if they recognize they've been lost for a while, and doing the same things and expecting different results is always pretty stupid.

This franchise doesn't need a carpenter to spruce things up, they need an architect to build a house that stands. How dedicated is the Castellini family ? If they're looking to just flip, the Reds will get a coat of paint. If they start pouring a new foundation, I'll be more inclined to believe they're in it for the long haul.

 

[JohnU]

Above all, I think the fans have grown to realize that it takes more than an enthusiastic owner to win. We can all be expected to root for our heroes and show up in the millions to help them win games. Attendance does not win baseball games.
The teams that win aren't inclined to play circus. The ownership groups that lose believe that every player who had a bad year will recover and have a great year.
The ownership groups that win put that sort of information in the hands of people who say, 'Jay Bruce is not going to hit .299 and have 50 home runs," no matter what the owners wish will happen.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Things evolve. They don't always improve. Phillips is getting older, regression should be expected,. Jay Bruce is in his prime, but started regressing two seasons ago. I'm not convinced Zack Cozart has figured it out because he hit .258 in a third of a season. Similarly, I'm not sure Suarez has either, just because he hit .280 in two thirds of a season. Mesoraco looked like MVP for a while two years ago, and like a rule 5 release last year. Billy Hamilton can't hit at all, so far. Joey Votto is a great hitter, but he's missed two half seasons in three years, and I can't really tell you why. Frazier and a great pitching staff were productive and needed, but not afforded. The Reds got a good half season from several LF's, but unfortunately signed most of them for 2 years. A few current young players look promising, but for how long ? Hoover is the closer, but is only 2 seasons from a terrible season he should have been demoted from. They have 3 shortstops and no left fielders. The most likely cleanup hitter is a platoon catcher with a bad hip the Reds refuse to relieve in the OF. They have a rookie rotation and zero bullpen.

At some point, people that are paid to make salads have to be able to recognize the difference between fresh and tasty from old and rotten, and ripe from green. They have to recognize that it takes a shaker to get oil and vinegar to cooperate. Blind men have been mixing the salad in Cincinnati. We're going to eat some grass and thorns this year.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

I see that "Sweet Lou" has been named Grand Marshal of the OD Parade. First a WS Championship, then Grand Marshal, what's next fans may be wondering? The crown jewel would be leading the chicken dance at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati. Then Mr Piniella would have come a long way since humble beginnings in Tampa, Fla. Well. .....at least 900+ miles anywho.

 

[JohnU]

I suppose the Reds have run out of heroes. Piniella is as close as they can get.

 

[JohnU]

Speaking of managers, the Wichita Wingnuts have hired Pete Rose Jr. as their new manager.
Wichita has been one of the most competitive teams in the American Association (indy) over the last 3 or 4 years. How that works in indy ball is that the manager mainly is in charge of getting his players. We shall see if Petey knows his baseball and his personnel.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Didn't he have a minor league coaching gig a couple years back? Don't remember which organization. Seems to be moving in the wrong direction.

I think he ended his career playing Indy ball. The name probably has opened doors to more opportunities than his talent suggested was warranted. But in the same token the name has closed a few as well I suppose. It doesn't help that he has a conviction for selling team mates a illegal substance. Did a short stint in prison if I remember right.

 

[JohnU]

Indy ball hires for different reasons, and name recognition is a big one. Whether it translates to ticket sales is ridiculous but if PRJ was available and the price was right, the 'Nuts can't do too badly. Over the last 3 years, their manager has transformed the franchise into an on-field success but the box office hasn't reflected that to any degree. The ballpark is old, the home of the WBC national series ... The old manager, Kevin Hooper, signed on with affiliated (an NL-W team, not sure which) after proving he could build a winning team. In indy ball, that's a 24/7 project for a manager.

Affiliated managers don't worry about anything except what the "company" wants and they aren't likely to screw anything up if they don't have personality issues that are normally vetted long in advance.

PRJ did play some indy ball. I can't recall what sort of talent he had, but I think he's probably fairly ordinary at the game. What he knows from the pine bench is another matter. Indy ball isn't affiliated.