One e-mailer defended Ken Griffey Jr., another ripped Bud Selig, and here's the shocker: No one asked why Carl Lindner won't spend any more money.

        Question, from Karin in Allentown, Pa.: I was wondering if you thought, like I do, that people are unnecessarily hard on Ken Griffey Jr., especially since his trade. With the recent possibility that he won't be at Redsfest, I have heard several fans grumble that he doesn't care about the Reds fans or the media. I think that this is rather ridiculous, and I find it disappointing that people just seem to want to bash him. Do you agree that he has taken an unnecessary beating in the last few years? Do you think that if it continues, he might eventually want out of Cincinnati?

Answer: When you're the team's biggest star, the spotlight shines brightest on you. I thought Junior was much easier to get along with from a media standpoint his second year here. He doesn't interact with fans as much as other players, but that's because anytime he goes in public, he is mobbed. If Griffey has a typical Griffey year, he'll be everyone's favorite again. My guess is Junior will finish his career here.

        Q, from Rich in Cincinnati: It really bothers me that there is all of a sudden this talk of contraction because some teams are having a bad run of years. If anything (or anyone) should be contracted, it is Bud Selig! Pete Rose is my favorite player ever. Every time the topic of his reinstatement into baseball and/or the Hall of Fame comes up, you hear that all of the owners, managers, etc., are in favor of it, but Bud Selig is 100 percent against it. So what do the owners, managers, etc., do? They extend the contract of Bud Selig, who cannot possibly be impartial, due to the fact that he owns part of a team.

A: Sorry, Rich, Bud is going to be with us for a long time. But I think you're wrong on other owners being in favor of reinstating Rose. If they were, they could pressure Selig into at least listening to Rose's argument.

        Q, from Steve: I was reading your Nov. 18 Q&A and noticed your answer to someone comparing Sean Casey to Ben Broussard. You compare batting average. ... Batting average is not a good indicator when comparing players.

        For some reason, most people just look at a player's batting average, home runs and runs batted in. The only statistic out of those three that is worth anything is home runs. I'd take a guy with a .230 average with walks and power over a player who hits .350, but they are all singles. Try using on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS (on-base plus slugging). Those are much more useful tools.

        A: OPS has come into vogue with baseball insiders. The problem is, it doesn't mean a thing to the man on the street. Batting average, home runs and RBI are all easily comparable, and fans relate to them.

        Q, from Sean in Louisville: I wonder about your observation regarding Scott Rolen that “Rolen is not a huge upgrade over (Aaron) Boone.” Certainly, that wasn't based on reality.

        Rolen came into the league in 1996 and has won the Rookie of the Year Award and three Gold Glove Awards. His career OPS is .883 and since 1997 he has averaged 26 HRs and 95 RBI. By any measure, Rolen is the second-best third baseman in the NL (behind Chipper Jones).

        Boone, on the other hand, came into the league in 1997, has a career OPS of .792 (almost 100 points behind Rolen). He's only played anything close to a complete schedule one season (1999, when he played 139 games). Boone's numbers projected over 162 games would yield 17 HRs and 85 RBI — not exactly stunning power numbers for a corner infield position. Boone is a nice player; Rolen is a stud who hits fourth in the lineup and gives Gold Glove quality defense.

A: There's that OPS. Again, I think if — and that's a big if — Boone can stay healthy, he can put up numbers similar to Rolen's. And the key is, Boone is a lot cheaper. If the Reds want to add payroll, they should put the money toward pitching, not offense.

        Q, from Joseph in Bowling Green, Ky.: It now appears that contraction is in jeopardy and the clubs in question will be forced to play out another season. If that is the case, do you see fire sales taking place in Montreal, Minnesota, Florida and Tampa Bay so those clubs don't lose money next year?

A: That's an interesting point. Selig may have to use the old “best interests of baseball” to keep the Expos from selling Vladimir Guerrero to the Yankees for $10 million.

        Q, from Joe in Elizabethton, Tenn: When will the spring training schedule be posted, and which prospect do you see making the team and heading north with the Reds?

A: The spring training schedule, like everything else, is being held up by contraction. As for prospects, the easy answer is Austin Kearns. But I think Ty Howington could pitch his way on the team with a sensational spring.

        John Fay covers the Reds for The Enquirer. He can be reached at jfay@enquirer.com. Please include neighborhood or hometown.
       

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