If Narron is fired then who?

by justin0070000 on May 6, 2007 6:30 PM EDT

I really don't think Narron is the problem. I think he is a medicore manager he neither helps or hurts things. But if the team continue's it woes Castillini may lose his patients. I have to say the thought of hiring a manager with a history of winning excites me. Which is better then Bob Boone or Ray Knight who are probably the worst managers I have ever seen.

In my dream world I would love to see Davey Johnson return to Cincinnati, but I know that will not happen. But he got such a raw deal, and to be replaced by Ray Knight was awful. I don't know if there has ever been a manager less profesional the Knight, he always blamed his coaching staff or what not for the Red's problems.

Out of the organization I wouldn't mind seeing Dusty Baker or Joe Girardi. Baker has a history of winning. Anyone can lose in Chicago. They are a cursed team. It is unfortunate Jim Tracy is in Pittsburgh, because I wouldn't mind seeing his homecoming he is a fine manager. I also read that Jack McKeon has aspirations to manage again.

From in the organization I guess the candidates would be Bucky Dent, and Mark Berry. I doubt Dent would take the job he and Narron are too close, or because of their closeness he might even be fired if Narron is fired. Mark Berry had a winning record (.522%) in the minors. Some have said he could be a major leage manager some day. He was Miley's choice to be a bench coach, but O'Brien installed Narron.

I think that Castilleni would go outside of the organization, atleast for the long term. He won't be like the previous administration, and always hire cheap managers who are just desperate for a job.

Who would you like to see manager, and who do you think is attainable. I think with the Pitchers coming up from the Minors, and Castillini's mindset it shouldn't be too tough to attract a manager.

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Dusty Baker

Please God no.

How about Bucky Dent?

by Caleb on May 6, 2007 6:47 PM EDT reply actions

yeah hire Bucky...

so he can bat Hatteberg leadoff the rest of the season.

by jambolyajones on May 6, 2007 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Narron gave Dent that lineup

by justin0070000 on May 6, 2007 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Dusy has a .527 winning percentage

who was the last reds manager who had a winning record? Jack McKeon. Baker has a history of winning. His team was mostly deralied by injuries.

I think Bucky Dent is too close to Narron, and if Narron left Dent would either be fired because they are so close, or he atleast wouldn't take his friends job.

by justin0070000 on May 6, 2007 6:53 PM EDT reply actions

Baker

just not impressed by him. I didn't like him as a player, And while his teams have a .527 winning percentage have they really won anything? How many championships?

by Caleb on May 6, 2007 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions

4 playoff apperance including one NL penant

and 3 manager of the year awards.

by justin0070000 on May 6, 2007 7:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Johnny Baker

3 first place finishes and a wild card. One trip to the Series. I think his teams won in spite of him

by Caleb on May 6, 2007 7:05 PM EDT reply actions

Johnny Narron!

suggestions, anyone?

by BobbyO on May 6, 2007 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions

6 seconds

and out of those he probably should have won 4 of them. I just don't think he was that good a manager

by Caleb on May 6, 2007 7:06 PM EDT reply actions

steroid filled rosters

with all the crap flying around about roids don't you think a manager who knowingly , willingly put cheaters on the field should be hailed as great?

by Caleb on May 6, 2007 7:09 PM EDT reply actions

So does that mean Tony LaRussa isn't great

because he played Mark McGwire.

by justin0070000 on May 6, 2007 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions

to me

Yes.
Some of those Giants teams should have easily made the World Series but didn't win their division because Dusty is a lousy in game manager.

To me he is over rated like many of the managers

by Caleb on May 6, 2007 7:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Baker

If Dusty Baker is named the Reds manager then I'll be done for awhile. There's just no way I could handle having to watch that.

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. --Oscar Wilde

by JD Arney on May 6, 2007 7:12 PM EDT reply actions

What, you don't want a lifeless guy

who sits around chewing on toothpicks and ruining young pitchers managing the Reds?

Wanted: Relievers for three quick outs in any inning.

by Ash on May 6, 2007 7:14 PM EDT up reply actions

lol

if only he could end the careers of our bullpen

by Caleb on May 6, 2007 7:15 PM EDT up reply actions

dont forget the wristbands

suggestions, anyone?

by BobbyO on May 6, 2007 7:17 PM EDT up reply actions

ooh, and the fact that he hates walks.

Can't believe I forgot that.

Wanted: Relievers for three quick outs in any inning.

by Ash on May 6, 2007 7:18 PM EDT up reply actions

Ruining Pitchers

would be my biggest fear. For reference, please see "Prior, Mark" and "Wood, Kerry".

No way in hell that I want him in the same area code as Homer Bailey.

"Hey, that's hillWILLIAM to you!"

by jch24 on May 7, 2007 8:43 AM EDT up reply actions

I think I would rather...

Have Bob Boone,Dave Miley or Ray Knight (ugh) back than Dusty Baker.

"That which is repeated will happen a third time."

by Paul Householder on May 6, 2007 7:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Got to say...

I don't want to see Jim Tracy anywhere near Cincinnati. That man has a well documented history of letting good hitters rot in favor of guys with "baseball savvy" - Holy crap, that sounds familiar.

The "Pride of Hamilton High" or whatever it is that Grande calls him, can stay in Pittsburgh.

Wanted: Relievers for three quick outs in any inning.

by Ash on May 6, 2007 7:27 PM EDT reply actions

Just Hamilton. He went to Badin, not Hamilton High

by Geki on May 6, 2007 8:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Whoops. My apologies to Hamilton High.

My condolences to all of Hamilton. And to everyone who ever has to hear Grande call Tracy "The Pride of Hamilton." Seriously, it kills me.

Wanted: Relievers for three quick outs in any inning.

by Ash on May 6, 2007 8:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Mr. Castillini, we're losing this patient!!

If the Reds ever hire Dusty Baker, I will actively root against the team. His "success" as a baseball manager is comparable to David Brent's "success" at Wernham-Hogg.

With regard to Jim Tracy, it might be better just to hire Jason Bay or Freddie Sanchez

If what you say is true, the Shaolin and the Wu-Tang could be dangerous.

by Man Mountain on May 6, 2007 8:06 PM EDT reply actions

Dusty Baker, eh?

I don't know about you, but I don't think that it'd be a good idea to let Homer Bailey have a few 130 pitch games at age 22. If we hired Dusty Baker, we'd get that. He basically singlehandedly ruined Mark Prior and certainly contributed to ruining Kerry Wood.

Dusty Baker has also been quoted as saying he doesn't like it when guys who aren't fast walk, because they "clog up the basepaths." Bye-bye Dunn, Hatteberg, and Junior, hello Juan Pierre and Cesar Izturis.

Throw in the fact that Baker is terrible at managing a bullpen, and all you have is a guy with veteran leadership. And we've all seen how well veteran leadership works out.

Personally, if (when) Narron is fired, I want a younger, relatively unknown guy taking his place, ala Bob Geren in Oakland or Manny Acta in Washington. Most of the teams in major league baseball seem content with recycling the same managers over and over again, which I don't get. Experience doesn't necessarily equal quality.

by Geki on May 6, 2007 8:18 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah, sorry

I hadn't read your post when I posted above. D'oh!

"Hey, that's hillWILLIAM to you!"

by jch24 on May 7, 2007 8:45 AM EDT up reply actions

Seconded

I wanted to make that point about not letting Baker anywhere near Homer Bailey. I don't even want him talking about him on Baseball Tonight.

by Brendanukkah on May 6, 2007 8:37 PM EDT reply actions

How about Joe Girardi?

He would seem to be a good fit if he can handle ego's.

by justin0070000 on May 6, 2007 8:47 PM EDT reply actions

Girardi

chandrathan mentioned him in a diary post a few days ago. BubbaFan mentioned that he's said he'd only be interested in jobs in New York and Chicago. Marlins fans were apparently non-plussed with the way he handled some of their young pitching.

He seems like a very faddish choice and fads tend to scare me. I like what Manny Acta said about his coaching philosophy so far, but he might well be just a sabrdudes faddish choice. I'd have to speak with people who watch the Nats enough to know how he's coaching with what he's given.

Given Wayne's moves, you'd guess he leans more toward "old school" baseball managers. So I think getting an Acta type is probably a pipe dream.

If what you say is true, the Shaolin and the Wu-Tang could be dangerous.

by Man Mountain on May 6, 2007 9:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Tom Hume

It seems like the fastest way to run someone out of the organization for good is to let them manage.

by Brian B on May 6, 2007 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't know about that.

First of all, I don't know that he [i]can[/i] handle egos. He got fired for going head to head with the owner of the Marlins. Secondly, the Marlins may have been young, but they also had loads of talent. Guys like Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez, and Dan Uggla (among others) were thrown into starting jobs before they would traditionally be considered major league ready and they responded with success. I can see that paralleling with Hamilton's success this year, and you can't really give Narron credit for Hamilton succeeding. It's just players living up to their talents. Thirdly, as somebody else mentioned, Marlins fans weren't terribly pleased with how he managed a game. And lastly, he instituted a no-facial-hair rule (like any of the Marlins could grow it), which qualifies him as a douchebag in my book.

by Geki on May 6, 2007 10:46 PM EDT up reply actions

somthing has to be said

for him being able to hold the Marlins togeather after their horrible start. That team could easily have packed it in.

by justin0070000 on May 7, 2007 12:51 AM EDT up reply actions

agreed

I have my doubts about his ability to handle egos. It was reportedly his people skills (or lack thereof) that did him in in Florida.

As for "holding the team together" - they're a bunch of kids. They are, on average, younger than the Yankees' Triple-A team. They're thrilled to pieces just to be in the big leagues. They weren't about to be discouraged by a losing record.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named "Bubba"?

by BubbaFan on May 7, 2007 6:24 AM EDT up reply actions

Narron

Narron had this to say after today's game: "How 'bout that?" said Narron. "The big thing was Saarloos didn't give in with the bases loaded, and [he] got out of the inning. They're all capable of it."

Is he serious? Didn't Saarloos walk the first guy he faced with the bases loaded?

by Brian B on May 6, 2007 10:38 PM EDT reply actions

If you think Narron is too passive

Bobby Valentine is managing in Japan, and Larry Bowa is a third base coach.

by justin0070000 on May 7, 2007 12:57 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah , but...

...Bobby has a really cool Japanese blog. And he's so popular over there that he's got a beer named after him:

And a hamburger. And a candy. Bobbleheads, t-shirts, you name it. They love him over there.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named "Bubba"?

by BubbaFan on May 7, 2007 6:32 AM EDT up reply actions

How many BoBeers do you have to drink

before the picture on the front starts to look good? Personally, I think I'd succumb to liver failure first.

by Brendanukkah on May 7, 2007 7:28 AM EDT up reply actions

it looks like

they tried to make valentine look japanese. kind of strange packaging.

Blessed be Baseball

by Daedalus on May 7, 2007 9:51 AM EDT up reply actions

It's a Sapporo

Which is my favorite kind of Japanese beer. But that is probably colored by the time I toured their brewery and was a grateful recipient at the end of the tour of 20 mins all you can drink. I wonder how the "Bob Beer" differs from normal Sapporo.

by ken on May 7, 2007 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions

my list of managers....

Rick Sweet, Billy Hatcher, Tom Hume, Ron Oester

GO REDS!

by ewquinn on May 7, 2007 10:01 AM EDT reply actions

Narron stays

Remember, Johnny Narron is Hobbs' keeper. He ain't going nowhere.

by bobestes on May 7, 2007 11:29 AM EDT reply actions

an excellent point

by Caleb on May 7, 2007 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions

That's a stupid reason to keep a manager...

Chandrathan is Pissed!

by chandrathan on May 7, 2007 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions

is it?

Hamilton has ARod-type talent. I believe that the Reds are going to do everything they possibly can to keep this guy from relapsing. To fire Narron is to fire Johnny, which is to leave Hamilton w/o his inhouse sponsor.

by bobestes on May 7, 2007 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions

What if trader Jack returns to Cincinnati?

by justin0070000 on May 7, 2007 11:34 AM EDT reply actions

Isn't he dead?

Or failing that, extremely old?

by bobestes on May 7, 2007 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions

76.5

Do you still measure in half years when you are that age?

2007 Reds Threat Level is Blue

by Slyde on May 7, 2007 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions

He seemed to be affective in 2003

when he was 72 years old.

by justin0070000 on May 7, 2007 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions

Well

He was also 83-79 each of the following two years.

I liked McKeon when he was here, but I've never been a fan of trying to recapture the past. That's why I had little interest in trying to get Piniella back as well. This team is not the same as what they had, there are no guarantees that they can do anything more than Narron.

The real problem is that this team isn't that great. Changing managers isn't going to turn that around instantly. There are too many holes. If Narron had some real options out of the bullpen, people would be less frustrated with the way that he used it.

2007 Reds Threat Level is Blue

by Slyde on May 7, 2007 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions

lol

I'm starting to think at my age I should measure in half years. At his age you should measure in months

by Caleb on May 7, 2007 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions

No Team Leaders

Funny thing is, I think this team could sorta use a fiery, horse's ass type manager like Lou Pinella (doh), because it's pretty obvious the team lacks leadership.

by bobestes on May 7, 2007 1:05 PM EDT reply actions

I'd rather see a player take that role

I've never liked fiery managers. I like the manager to be even-keeled and not make a story of himself (that includes in the games as well).

I've been wishing for the last 3 or 4 years that the Reds would get a player who could challenge his teammates to man up and do something. I think that kind of leadership should come from the players. I hate to bring up the past as if the solution is always there, but Greg Vaughn is the best example I can think of in recent Reds history. The team could use somebody to give them a little swagger.

2007 Reds Threat Level is Blue

by Slyde on May 7, 2007 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree

It's the Barry Larkin vaccuum. Griffey is too much of a twit to be a leader.

by bobestes on May 7, 2007 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions

How about...

Bringing back Davey Johnson, considering he was the last Reds manager to make the playoffs.

by bigjas on May 7, 2007 3:26 PM EDT reply actions

he has had his struggles with ownership

in his last 3 stops, Cincinnati, Baltimore, and LA. Granted Cincinnati was because of Marge. He is managing Team USA. I think he is happy doing that. He doesn't have an owner to appeal too. Plus he doesn't put up with ego's, and Griffey's feelings might get hurt.

by justin0070000 on May 7, 2007 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions