Let's Make a Deal (or 3)

[missionhockey21]

Let's Make a Deal (or 3)

By John Fay
Enquirer staff writer

If Dan O'Brien ever falls short on ideas on how to improve the Reds, all he needs to do is publish his e-mail address and watch his inbox overflow.

In last week's Reds Insider, we invited readers to "Be the Reds GM."

About 350 of you took us up on it. We're publishing some of the better ones today. I read all of them. Most followed the format, i.e., they were realistic and they were brief. (The way some others define brief makes "War and Peace" a short story).

But, all in all, it was an interesting exercise. Reds fans are nothing if not passionate. One guy sent me a 35k attachment. I didn't open it, for fear of viruses, but feel free to drop it in the mail, Mike.

But a couple of conclusions can be drawn:

Fans want change. That's always the case when a team does as badly as the Reds have done this year. But fans here aren't asking for a minor shake-up. At least half of the respondents suggested trading one of the five players in the outfield/first base mix - Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, Sean Casey, Wily Mo Peña or Austin Kearns.

Fans understand the Reds' situation. They've become accustomed to the Small Market Payroll Blues. Very few suggested trades that added payroll.

Fans want the pitching issue addressed at the trade deadline. They are willing to part with Peña or Dunn, whom they correctly see as the best trade bait the Reds have, to get a top-of-the-line starter.

Fans want a big name manager, e.g., Jim Leyland or Lou Piniella. That is no knock on Jerry Narron. Not one of the e-mails complained about the way he's managed. While fans pretty much acknowledge that pitching is the root of all of the Reds' problems, a lot of them perceive that this is an underachieving team and that a hard-line manager would make a difference.

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[Cincy]

I wonder if E.E. could be moved to second because I would love to see Randa back in 06'.

We could have the following lineup:

1. Freel lf
2. Lopez ss
3. Casey 1b
4. Griffey cf
5. Pena rf
6. Randa 3b
7. EE 2b
8. Larue/someone else c

[Geki Ace]

Pretty accurate article. It captured most of my feelings about what they need to do, and the Reds organization needs to listen to the fans completely, not just in bits and pieces. Reds fans wanted a big-name starting pitcher to be signed. They didn't want Eric Milton, because most of them could see him for what he was. Reds fans wanted Graves to not be the closer, but did they really want him to be released completely? Same thing with DJ at 2B. He could still have value on the bench, but he's not helping anyone in AA. It seems like the Reds hear what the fans are saying, but instead of listening to it, they take it and distort it in whatever easy and cost-effective way they can. It's rather obvious that putting a winning team on the field will bring fans, and bringing fans brings money. It's a horribly simple concept, but they just can't figure it out.