Miley: All I can do is continue to put guys in situations where they can succeed

[CincyRedsFan30]

Players, top brass clear the air

By Hal McCoy

Dayton Daily News

CINCINNATI | As one Cincinnati Reds veteran player termed what was going on in the clubhouse before Tuesday's game, "It's a soap opera, All My Reds."

For more than an hour Tuesday afternoon, general manager Dan O'Brien, manager Dave Miley, third baseman Joe Randa and first baseman Sean Casey met behind Miley's closed door, an air-it-out session.

Miley's immediate future as manager never came up, even though he realizes the heat on the bottom of his feet isn't from sticking them close to a fireplace.

"I'm pretty beat up from the losing right now," he said. "And I know the manager as the fall guy comes with the territory. All I can do is continue to put guys in situations where they can succeed."

Miley called the meeting a group discussion, "On how we can get back to the basics. Nothing major. We called in Randa and Casey, our cornermen in the infield, and talked about the basics, about taking a step back and starting over. That's about it."

Randa said: "We just talked about everybody staying together and that if everybody stays together and there is no finger-pointing and nobody starts laying the blame on anybody in particular, we'll be OK.

"I haven't seen any of that. It hasn't happened," he added. "We all believe in one another and care for one another and that hasn't changed from Day One."

Asked if there was a sense of urgency, Randa smiled and said, "I heard that at Kansas City last year on May 7 when we were only seven games out."

Well, the Royals eventually lost 104 games and, coincidentally, the Reds are on pace to lose 104.

"We do need to get moving and guys do have a sense of urgency to turn it around today," Randa said.

How about changes?

Rich Aurilia, batting .202, was hitting second in the order Tuesday as Miley struggles to find the right lineup and the right batting order.

Of the team's struggles, Aurilia said, "Everybody is at the point of frustration right now."

Asked about possible changes,

Aurilia smiled and said: "You mean players getting the ax? I went through that last year in Seattle. Doing that to yourself doesn't help. Counting the day to when you might be traded or released is a detriment. Why worry? It is all out of our hands."

Said Randa, "it's the nature of the game. Things don't go well and changes are made. . .and you can put players and managers in that category."

Added Aurilia: "It is too early to evaluate. You go to mid-June before you make assessments."

Welcome to GABP

When pitcher Eric Milton came over to the Reds from Philadelphia, where he led the National League by giving up 43 homers, he said he was happy to leave homer-friendly Citizens Bank Park.

Now that he has given up 13 homers with the Reds, how does he feel about Great American Ball Park?

"The ball does carry here, especially in the gaps to right-center and left-center," he said. "Some balls that you think will be caught on the warning track go over the fence."

Milton paused to smile and said, "Hey, I hit a homer (his career first) to the opposite field (left), so what does that say?"

He doesn't blame the park, though.

"I'm not making the pitches, I'm not executing," he said. "You have to execute. I'm looking at videos, trying everything. I need to find a way to get the ball down and keep it down."

Age catches up

Ben Weber is 35 ... and feels it. He was placed on the disabled list Monday with a bulging disk in his neck.

"Once you hit 35, it is all downhill," he said. "I've never been hurt in my life, never been on the DL, until I hit 35."

Freel fined

Ryan Freel was not in Tuesday's lineup, but will play this afternoon.

Freel pleaded guilty in Campbell County (Ky.) Court Wednesday to a DUI charge and lost his driver's license for 90 days and was fined $500. He also will provide community service time.

[redsrbetter]

I don't get it. They have a meeting to try and figure things out. The Aurilia question had to have been asked. So why no change? Aurilia can just shut his mouth too. He is acting like he is not begging to stay in the games. And like he deserves to play. Screw him.

[CincyRedsFan30]

I agree, but this just makes me more suspicious of O'Brien. Perhaps Miley has been mandated to start Aurilia, and even though O'Brien probably didn't MAKE him bat second, Miley was thinking: "I don't want all of the fans calling for my head as I bat Aurilia 7th day after day, so I better at least change things around so I can at least say I've tried something".

I'm not saying I agree with the logic or that the above is definitely true, but I certainly think it's a distinct possibility. His comments even seem to "hint at/fit" that:

"And I know the manager as the fall guy comes with the territory. All I can do is continue to put guys in situations where they can succeed."

[redsrbetter]

Good point there CRF. I didn't catch that one too well. hmmm....

[CincyRedsFan30]

To be quite honest, I have been rather surprised by Miley's "apparent" poor management this year. I really thought he would be better based on his minor league numbers, my personal observations, and the decent job I thought he did last year with limited resources.

I'm really wondering whether he hasn't been forced into getting away from what made him a .568 winning percentage manager during his career in our minor league system.

[redsrbetter]

Yeah with those minor league successes, he could not have afforded to make costly calls like those he is making now. I really loved Miley's managing last season. I was ready to call him manager of the year before the All-Star break. But he has either changed, or it is DanO. I am not ready to give up on it being Miley yet though. Because of his conversation about benching Kearns. When it got out that Kearns questioned him on it and Miley found out that he told the press wht was said. It seemed like Miley said that the same thing would happen the next day. And it did. I think he does use personal thoughts too much. But then again, that could have been DanO too. Who may have been ready to trade him at that point, but it fell through. Hard to tell.

[CincyRedsFan30]

O'Brien really hadn't implanted "his plan" last year though, so perhaps Miley was given more freedoms, and now that he made offseason changes and really has "taken" the GM job, he might be forcing Miley into playing the players he added and into doing what he says.

He made that comment about Kearns complaining about sitting and said something like: "Ill talk to him again". That almost seems like he had to try to convince him that he wasn't sitting because he hates him, but because maybe he was being forced into doing so!?

And I do think he uses his personal ideas and such too much, but I like that about him if he mixes that with using real statistics.

[NFLman2033]

well, all i can say, its lets hope we see felo in at SS and Freel in at 2B a lot while Aurilia and play so well that Aurilia doesn't have a job to come back to.