Friday, September 17, 1999Lindner knows Reds' success won't come easily
BY JOHN ERARDI
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Carl Lindner provided a glimpse Thursday into his new world as owner of the Cincinnati Reds.
Carl Lindner
Mr. Lindner, chairman of American Financial Group, is a man who believes in building from the ground up. His comments on his new role,while brief, indicated a similar conviction in a strong foundation for the Reds.
“I'm learning,” he said while in the rotunda of the Otsega Hotel. “They (the owners of baseball's 29 other franchises) are certainly willing to share.”
Mr. Lindner is a fast learner, and he knows the Reds won't be able to outspend the better-heeled competition in the bigger markets. The Reds will have to outwork them in scouting and player development.
While he talked about his new team, a bold headline in the newspaper on the hotel's concierge desk blared out the news:
“Reds Power Past Sosa, Cubs 5-4.”
The story detailed the Reds' quest to make the playoffs.
Reds fans have developed high expectations, not just for this team, but for next year's as well.
Are these expectations realistic given that the revenues of the Reds' new ballpark are four years away?
“That's a tough one to ask,” Mr. Lindner said.
You could tell he'd been wrestling with the question.
And maybe still is.
What about a World Championship? Will the Reds ever win one again?
Mr. Lindner nodded his head affirmatively.
“But it's tough,” he said. “When (the Yankees') in come is $80-$90 million, and ours is $6 million, it puts him in a spot.”
Presumably, the “him” of whom Mr. Lindner was speaking is Reds Managing Executive John Allen. Or maybe it is Reds General Manager Jim Bowden, who is in charge of trying to assemble a team for a third of what the big-market franchises pay and still keep the
Reds in the race.
The smart money says Mr. Lindner will leave the franchise better than he found it. Then again, having a keen eye for business is no guarantee of baseball success. Yogi Berra said it best:
“When it comes to baseball, you don't know nothin'.”
Yogi was speaking of everybody, not just billionaires.
But Mr. Lindner knows this: Baseball has problems, problems that can't be overcome by Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, not even if they chase each other and Cooperstown's ghosts for the next five years.
So will the Reds keep Juan Guzman or Greg Vaughn? How about Guzman and Vaughn? What about real grass at Cinergy Field for Barry Larkin? And how about those Phillies, rallying past the Astros Wednesday night? Six games left between the Braves and Mets. Oughta be enough for the Reds to get the wild card. But it was too late for a last question. Mr. Red was out the door.
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