What happens after Nick Castellanos walks out the door? He leaves here on a magic carpet of money. Then what?
What hasn’t been discussed is the very real and very scary possibility that the Reds return to the Bryan Price Era. We recall the BPE, we understand what the Reds were doing then, in losing 90-plus games a year four years in a row. It fueled the big frustration this summer. The Club followed the Small Money blueprint: Slash payroll until the Powers judge it’s worth it to spend money again, because it sees the potential to return to the playoffs.
The “T’’ word? The Reds were classic practitioners.
T-word, Doc?
Tanking.
Ah.
It made perfect sense, financially. A team could spend tens of millions more and jump from 64 wins to 74. So what? Until they decided to retrench this year, the Reds thinking was sound. In a normal year, it might have even worked. They developed a decent core and then added it to it in a very big way two offseasons ago.
Then the virus beaned them. Now the potential for a work stoppage makes them hesitate. And here we are. Expect Castellanos’ 30-100-.300 line to be in someone else’s lineup. And the Reds to tell you how great Lodolo and Garrett are going to be.
And, well, possibly, dangling someone like Luis Castillo, for prospects. Castillo has two arbitration years left and for two-thirds of the ’21 season was the Reds best pitcher.
Again, that sort of move could be defended from a financial standpoint. But fans aren’t accountants. They’ll see an organization that chopped payroll for three years in a row, on the promise of a winning window for two or three years. If you want to be generous, you could look at 31-29 and 83-79 and say, mission sort of accomplished.
Correct me if I’m wrong. But I don’t see most fans feeling especially generous. There is a small chance that Castellanos won’t want, say, five years and $200 million. He likes it here, the Small Park does wonders for his numbers. The Reds maybe could do three years, $60 mil. Not five.
There’s a bigger chance Castellanos says no thanks and the Reds enter ’22 with a hole in rightfield.
As much as what it would do to the lineup, letting Castellanos walk is worse for the message it sends: We’re going to have to rebuild. There’s enough talent here, we won’t see a BPE re-run. But the boom-bust life looks to be returning.
The Reds would like to be the Rays, with more money. They feel they’re on their way. They might be right. Otherwise, the small sliver of light through the window is dimming, at least for the short term.
I'm not one to blame anything on ownership's perceived thrift. The Reds have been middle of the pack in payroll for the past three years. Nor am I one to knee-jerk rip the owners for not spending money. The franchise has issues that throwing money at won't fix. And I can assure you that Bob Castellini can be as sore a loser as exists. But losing Castellanos would be one very big indicator the Reds have played small money roulette. And lost.
Now, then. . .
SOMETIMES, YOU JUST GOTTA SLIDE was Aaron Rodgers’ advice to Joe Burrow. “You’ve got so much in front of you to accomplish in this league,’’ Rodgers said on Pat McAfee’s radio show. Dude’s got a point.
The only thing worse for a Men fan than watching Burrow run with the ball is watching him run with the ball and not get up.
One of the best things about Saint Joe is also among the worst. His competitiveness is going to win the Bengals some games. It could also do injurious things to his body. Career-threatening things.
How do you tell Burrow to slide, knowing sliding is not in his nature? Does telling Burrow not to be Burrow affect his unique style?
He can run well enough, but his legs are a very small part of his game. Man’s not Lamar Jackson. The best use of his feet should be inside the pocket. Before Jackson, no recent QB has been any better that Ben Roethlisberger at making max use of his feet. Ben bought time and space with his toes. In his prime, the last thing opponents wanted to see Roethlisberger, tip-toeing around the pocket.
Burrow can be the same. If he wants to be.
That’s going to be part of the QB’s weekly Wednesday interrogation today.
IT’S SO-O-O-O EASY to dislike the Washington Football Team, a team I worshipped well into my mid-life. I’d almost forgotten the NFL’s investigation into the Team’s smutty culture. The Gruden thing reminded me. Forty female employees complained of seemingly endless misconduct and sexual harassment. Six hundred fifty thousand e-mails offering undeniable testimony.
It wasn’t enough that Danny Snyder ruined the football side of the business. He left a cloud over the off-field side as well. Snyder is an extreme example of an egocentric bigshot who doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.
A generation ago, no one would have the erstwhile Redskins could be ruined, their status as one of the NFL’s crown jewels be so badly tarnished. And now look at ‘em.
THE HORSE IS DEAD, YES, but I have to cut the TML short.
Gee, Doc. What a shame. Why?
Because I had to get my weekly COVID-19 virus test. I was negative, not really surprising given I’ve been negative eight weeks in a row. The NFL’s mandate says I can’t talk to its players from a socially safe distance without proving I’m clean. Every stinking week.
I do because I have to. It’s ridiculous, but so is life in general. Meantime, feel free to attend an NFL game without wearing a mask or having been vaccinated. Yell and scream at the game, for four hours in close quarters with 60,000 of your closest friends. Makes sense to me.
TUNE O’ THE DAY. . .Never a bad day spinning the Stones.
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