Thursday, December 07, 2000
Bad timing ruins Redsfest
Redsfest 2001 is a victim of bad timing and good manners. It is set for the same January weekend as both the Super Bowl and Alex Ochoa's wedding, and previous engagements will prevent the appearance of several high-profile players.
Neither Ken Griffey Jr. nor Barry Larkin nor Sean Casey is expected to appear. The Reds' three most popular players have other obligations Jan.26-27, all of them legitimate. (Wednesday story: Stars will miss RedsFest 2001)
Much as these players might wish to spend a winter weekend in chilly Cincinnati instead of frolicking in Florida, propriety demands that they honor other commitments.
“You are never, in any way, except according to your own conscience, obligated to accept an invitation,” wrote etiquette maven Emily Post. “Once having accepted, however, you must go. Nothing can change an acceptance to a regret except illness, death in the family or a sudden, unavoidable trip.”
Signing autographs qualifies as an emergency endeavor only if the signature reprieves a condemned prisoner or forestalls foreclosure on a food bank. Otherwise, it doesn't rise to the level of real significance.
Don't blame the players
What worries some in the Reds' executive offices is that public perceptions are often formed by petty concerns and that Griffey and Larkin may be destined to take some undeserved heat.
The Reds' two ranking stars have yet to repair the damage done by their early departures on the last day of the season. In missing Redsfest, they risk further alienating fans and commentators inclined to leap to the least favorable conclusion.
When public debate on a presidential election is dominated by shrill partisans and alarmist analysts, it may be too much to expect reasoned discourse on the behavior of ballplayers. Yet so far as we know, Griffey and Larkin are guilty of nothing concerning Redsfest except having other plans. Griffey has appointments at the Super Bowl, and both he and Larkin are planning to attend Ochoa's wedding.
Agent Brian Goldberg says Griffey's contract with Nike stipulates that he make annual Super Bowl appearances. That deal predates Junior's acquisition by the Reds.
“Junior's got six or seven Level One endorsements, and they all vie for the same type of things at the same time,” Goldberg said. “At the Super Bowl, he's definitely going to do something for Nike, probably Nabisco and possibly Duracell.”
Reds lack leverage
Because Griffey is obligated to make numerous offseason appearances, his calendar gets pretty crowded. His drawing power is such that the Reds might consider scheduling Redsfest at his convenience (they were already planning a lottery for autograph seekers), but the club's position in the convention pecking order leaves it little flexibility about dates.
Top priority goes to conventions that fill hotel rooms.
“We take what we can get,” Reds chief operating officer John Allen said.
Since the window between Christmas and spring training is so narrow, and the scale of Redsfest so large, the Reds' alternatives are few and their leverage is limited. The Reds use 155,000 square feet of exhibit space for Redsfest. This is roughly twice the combined capacities of the Northern Kentucky Convention Center and the Sharonville Convention Center.
Another argument for a domed stadium?
E-mail: tsullivan@enquirer.com.
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SULLIVAN: Bad timing ruins Redsfest
