The timing was odd.
You can be a fan of David Bell or you can think he’s Vern Rapp by way of Russ Nixon. (You’d both be right.) You can praise him for July or rip him for September. (You’d both be right.) You can say, look at the injuries! Look at that bullpen! Or you can say, give me liberty or give me death, just don’t give me Eugenio Suarez and Asdrubal Cabrera!
You’d both be right.
I’ll say this: Extending the manager in the midst of an epic collapse is a different way to do business.
"It's the end of the year," GM Nick Krall said Wednesday, when I asked him about the timing. "We've talked about this for some time and it's when we finalized it. That's why. I don't have anything else to say on that."
OK. It’s fairly self explanatory, anyway. (Make of that conclusion what you will.)
More:'We feel he's the right guy': Reds manager David Bell agrees to 2-year contract extension
On the one hand, keeping Bell and evidently all his coaches maintains some continuity in an organization not known for that. On the other hand, rewarding workers for what has occurred on their watch for a month smells of settling and OK-ness. I’ve noted the Bengals trademark OK-ness for a very long time.
I’m on the fence on Bell, because I think a manager’s role is often overrated when it comes to winning and losing. Was Joe Torre a great manager? Or was he a great manager because he had Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera?
It’s always more about who’s playing than about who’s managing the players.
The injury to Winker was a killer, but even with that, the Reds had a competitive roster. It lacked balance and depth, but it had stars and compared to St. Louis, it had Cy Youngs in the rotation.
Do this little exercise: Compare the front line guys on this team with the front line guys of 1990. You’ll see the only glaring difference is the bullpens. More on that later.
A manager’s biggest task is tone-setting. Making clear his expectations. Making clearer what happens when they’re not met.
How did Bell do? He did well, and then he didn’t. I believe his perpetually upbeat outlook was a reason for the team’s mid-summer resiliency. I also believe his We’re OK ways did not deliver the urgency these players have needed for a month.
More:The seven ways that manager David Bell put his stamp on the 2021 Cincinnati Reds
Maybe Bell was a screaming tyrant away from the spotlight. I haven’t heard that.
I’m never going to be someone who micro-judges every move a manager makes. Again: It’s the players. Ownership didn’t get him a bullpen, made little effort to find him a shortstop. No manager is Einstein with Brad Brach and Cionel Perez working the late innings.
Nick Krall: “We've got a guy in the spot that knows how to run a Major League clubhouse in the dugout and we feel he's the right guy."
Eh.
“We made the playoffs last year. We had a good run this year. Still have a chance,’’ Krall said.
Man, that’s a telling statement about the club’s ambitions. You went 31-29 in a fluke season and made the expanded playoffs where you went 0-2 and didn’t score a run. You followed that by playing your way out of October this year.
A good run?
Remember when expectations were higher and the rhetoric was determined?
Championship baseball, where losing would be unacceptable. Now, it’s slightly over .500 and “a good run.’’
More:Reds call up Dauri Moreta after standout minor-league season; Mike Moustakas injured
OK-ness rules Cincinnati’s professional sports.
That’s what bothers me most.
Maybe next year, the Reds will rip it up. My crystal ball is in the shop. We can only comment on what we see right in front of us.
What do you see?
Now, then . . .
’21 VERSUS ’90. . . Where this team has the edges: 1B, C, RF, starting pitching depth. In order, Votto over Benzinger, Barnhart/Stephenson over Oliver, Castellanos (barely) over O'Neill.
Where that team was better: SS, 3B, CF, bullpen. Larkin, Sabo, Hatcher, Everybody.
Where it’s too close to call: LF (Winker or Davis?); 2B (India or Duncan/Oester?)
That’s 4-4-2.
You could argue India was better than Duncan and Oester. I could argue that Davis was better overall than Winker. Regardless, it’s close everywhere but the bullpen.
I think overall, I’d rather have Rijo and Browning than Castillo and Miley, but we’re splitting hairs there.
Agree or disagree?
TWO GAMES INTO IT, and the Bengals O-line is already an issue. How Zac Taylor deals with it will decide his future. He can scheme his way through it, but that doesn’t always work, as we saw in Chicago. Joe Burrow says he can become more mobile against the rush, but do we really want the guy running around more?
The only sure bet was to hire better blockers in the offseason. The Bengals hired different blockers. So far, the results look like last year.
OK-ness rules.
More:Here's how the Bengals beat the Steelers on Sunday: Three keys
AS FOR THE GAME . . . You tell me who plays for Pittsburgh, I can tell you who wins. Ben? He’ll play. He always plays, especially when you think he won’t. He owns the Bengals. In Cincinnati.
TJ Watt? His groin injury apparently isn’t serious. He should play.
Joe Haden? Limited practice Wednesday.
Devin Bush? Full practice.
WR Diontae Johnson, their leading receiver? Did not practice Wednesday.
Both teams should be amped, given their results last week. The Steelers O-line is a bigger question than Cincinnati’s. The Bengals have been excellent v. the run game, and that was against two Pro Bowl-caliber backs, not a rookie.
More:Joe Burrow, Zac Taylor stress importance of beating Steelers in Pittsburgh
With all those questionables, I don’t see the Steelers owning The Men Sunday. And I love Evan McPherson, the Bionic Leg Guy. He won a game already. Here’s the second W.
Men 20, Stillers 18.
AND NOW. . . Imbiber Dave tells us about wine.
I hardly had time to prepare. We went from summertime desert tropic chic to pumpkin spice latte in about 48 hours. The pool is still open but the six million oak leaves are the only ones that have gone swimming.
Ice cold beers and tequila cocktails were perfect this time last week, now it’s flavored beer season. Although abrupt, I’m ok with the outlook for fall.
The transition was smoothed by having plenty of wine on hand to warm us these cool evenings. If you are fresh out of stock and lacking inspiration, allow me to provide some inspiration.
Similar to beer and spirits, I love full-bodied red wines that you can enjoy with or often times without food. I’ve found that you should experiment with what type of grape you like, and then try at least five wines of that variety.
El Sacramento Rioja 2017 is a little lighter and spicy. Spanish reds tend to drink this way, you can almost picture yourself at a cafe enjoying tapas with friends.
I of course love Cabernets, and tend to keep some Beringer from Napa Valley on hand. Currently enjoying the 2016. Now Cabs have become so popular that they are expensive, so check out the South American cousin, the Malbec. The Lorenzo from 2017 is a Mendoza, Argentina wine that is full-bodied, but has a wonderful earthiness and little softness on the finish. Very tasty.
Last but not least, and for those who prefer something on the lighter side, a tip of my cap to my lovely bride for teaching me how wonderful a Pinot Noir can be. Our favorite are those from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and we are always running out of a case of La Crema. Pinot is cool because you can drink it all the way up and down the coast, and La Crema is great because they have versions from different spots in California too.
We tend to prefer US Pinots, since the fruit tends to be much more present and they are vibrant. French Pinots can be delicious too, particularly if you like a more earthy and subtle profile.
Cheers!
FunMaster Brien heads to Farbach.
This Saturday, the Farbach Werner Nature Preserve has an art opening. This will be the first day to check out their Charley Harper Quilt Show. From 11 am – 4 pm you will have the opportunity to see more than one hundred quilts inspired by the famed local artist.
Harper’s minimalistic approach to nature is iconic and immediately recognizable. It is also quite conducive to quilting or needlepoint. A local group called The River City Quilt Guild has created and collected numerous quilts over the years, which feature patterns based on Harper’s aesthetics. Now you will the chance to check them all out, in one convenient location.
And what a location it is! Nestled on Poole Road in Colerain, the Farbach Nature Preserve has 25 diverse, wooded acres, including Pink Oak Trail, which features a butterfly and flower garden. The Ellenwood Nature Barn is also worth checking out. It was built in the 1830s and hosts special events throughout the year.
The autumn weather showed up right on time and this weekend is looking like a wonderful opportunity to get outside. For more information, head to www.greatparks.org and go to the events page. The Quilt Show runs through October 3rd.
TUNE O’ THE DAY. . . If you can get past their nonsensical lyrics (Horse With No Name? Hahaha) these guys made some nice tunes. Even if some strayed dangerously close to elevator music. I liked this one.
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